The Unexpected One
by xxKiddxx
Summary: Sakura left Konoha one night out of no where, no one knows what exactly happened except for one person. What will happen when she returns 4 years later with someone else? (Bad Summary)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : Well, this idea has been on my mind for quiet some time and I can not stop thinking about it. So here's the first chapter, tell me what you think. I would appreciate any feedback you guys have. ****I hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

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_Chapter 1_

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A young, pink-haired medic sat in an empty room, studying the herbs and materials that were laid out before her. She glanced over the list she wrote making sure everything she needed was in front of her before starting her task. Once she saw that everything was present, she began to mix and mash together the herbs and liquids into a small bowl. She worked diligently for hours in the blistering heat of the room causing a sweat to form on her brow.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, a smile on plastered her face as she finished her work. She didn't waste much time, instantly pouring the substance that was in the bowl into a small bottle that was easier to handle. She then grabbed the bottle and dashed out of the room and into the crowded hallways of the hospital.

"Sakura-san!" A young male called, getting the pinkette's attention. "Did you finish the medicine already?" He asked surprised.

Sakura smiled sheepishly as she held out the small bottle for him to see. "It was really nothing, the leaf had dealt with something like this before. I was just replicating the medicine Tsunade-sama used." She said modestly.

"But still! You manage to make miracles happen around here Sakura-san, I don't know what we would do without you." The brown-haired male said with a grin before turning and continuing down the hall as he was before.

Sakura glanced at the bottle in her hand with a small blush on her cheeks. She took a deep breath before proceeding on down the hall to her destination. She quickly made her way through the twisted halls and found herself in front of the room that she desired. Without a pause, she pushed open the large double doors and entered without anyone stopping her.

"Sakura-sama!" A young girl cried running over the pinkette; The girl looked as if she was in her late teens with long brown hair and bright blue eyes. "The patients are continuing to get worse, I've never seen anything like it." She breathed out quickly, terrified of not knowing what to do.

Sakura looked around at the sick patients lying in the multiple beds across the large room. Their condition was getting worse but now that she had the antidote it would only take them a few days before returning back to full health.

"Don't worry Mai," Sakura said softly as she rested a hand on her shoulder, "I have the antidote now."

"You do!?" The girl, Mai, exclaimed with wide eyes. "How did you manage to come up with one so fast?"

Sakura smiled at the girl, and motioned for her to follow her as she moved to one of the patient's bed. "This disease is quiet common where I come from." Sakura explained as she helped a small, sick child sit upright in the bed. "With the antidote the disease is harmless, but without it can be fatal. In Konoha I was constantly watching my sensei make this antidote, and eventually learned it myself. Once I realized that what the patients had was the same as the disease back home I went out and got all the ingredients to make the antidote."

"Wow... and how long until the patients will return back to health?"

"A few days." Sakura answered simply as she poured a quarter of the bottle's substance into the child's mouth. She helped the child lay back into bed once she was done, and handed Mai the rest of the bottle and a list with the ingredients.

Mai looked at the items in her hand. "This is the list for the antidote?" She asked as she looked up at Sakura.

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod. "All you will need to do is mix everything together until it is watery, like it is in the bottle. You will need to make a lot more so inform the other staff in this area to help you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sakura-sama! I will get it done." Mai beamed with pride.

Sakura smiled at the girl once more before turning to leave. "I know you will Mai. I will return later to check on your progress!" She said as she exited out the same double doors she entered through moments ago.

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The young Kazekage sat at his desk going over paperwork that needed his attention. With the much needed peace that was going on between the villages the Kazekage could finally catch up on all the paperwork that managed to build up in his office. He sat in his normal attire, which consisted of his long, dark pants and his long-sleeved crimson coat, while his pale eyes quickly scanned over the paper in his hands.

Gaara felt the stare of a small girl upon him but chose to ignore the little one, knowing that he needed to accomplish at least some of his work. He began to write on the paper when an audible sigh was heard coming from the child across from him. The Kazekage paused for a moment without raising his head but continued to focus on what he was doing, ignoring the five-year old once more. The room was silent for several moments before another loud sigh was heard. Gaara stopped what he was doing, putting the pen down on top of the papers, and stared back at the small girl that was resting on the other side of his desk. She sat in a chair with her elbows, on Gaara's desk, propping up her head that was covered with wild orange locks. Her large emerald eyes stared into Gaara's usually intimidating, pale ones without any sign of fear.

"Ra?" The young girl said softly, the only person to ever use that nickname- or a nickname in general- for the Kazekage.

"Yes, Natsumi?" Gaara answered as he folded his hands and placed them on the desk. "What is the problem?"

"I'm bored!" Natsumi pouted as she looked at him with sad eyes.

Gaara couldn't fight the amused smile that was tugging at his lips as he shook his head at the girl. "Everyone has work to do today, including myself, so there will be not a lot of playing." He explained, picking up the pen once again.

Natsumi jumped down from her seat and ran around the desk to stand in front of Gaara. "But Ra~!" She whined, her arms stretched out towards him- demanding for him to pick her up.

The young man picked up the child with a sigh and placed her on his lap. "Sumi-chan, you have to be more patient. Everyone has duties that they must take care of before having fun." Gaara tried explaining to the child.

"But we can't play for just a little?" Natsumi asked, not listening to a word Gaara was saying. "You worked all morning!"

"I'm still not finished yet, as Kazekage I must get this stuff done."

The small, orange-haired girl looked up at the Kazekage with sad, pleading eyes. "Can we go play for just a tiny bit...? Please?"

Gaara wasn't known to show many emotions, or allow himself to be subjected to females by just the sad, puppy-dog look, but with Natsumi both of those very unlikely things occurred countless of times. Unfortunately for him, today was just another one of those times; He soon found himself being dragged outside in the scorching sun by the five-year old to go play in the park that was near the school.

"Wouldn't you like to stay indoors Sumi? It's very hot today." Gaara said in hope to get the young girl to turn around and go back inside.

"No, it's fine!" Natsumi chirped in response, not really bothered by the weather after growing up in the harsh conditions.

Gaara sighed for the several time, and allowed himself to be lead to the small park Natsumi loved so much.

It did not take long for the two to arrive at their destination, and Natsumi excitedly ran into the playground releasing Gaara's hand in the process. The red-haired male took a seat on one of the benches, watching Natsumi as she ran and played with the other kids there. Gaara smiled as he watched the small girl laugh while playing on the swings.

"I figured you two were here."

Gaara looked up casually to the pinkette standing next to him, watching the same little girl he was moments before. Sakura gracefully moved around the bench and sat next to the Kazekage.

"She did those eyes again, didn't she?" Sakura asked, looking at Gaara with an amused grin.

Gaara nodded with a small smile, his eyes following Natsumi's movements. "They get me every time."

Sakura let out a soft laugh as she focused her attention back on the small girl. "You do know what tomorrow is?"

"Yes, you two are leaving to Konoha tomorrow to see Tsunade, and to celebrate Natsumi's birthday in Konoha... You'll be gone for two weeks, correct?"

Sakura nodded in response to Gaara's question. This was the first time in over six years that she was going back to Konoha, it was going to b-

"I'm coming with you." Gaara said suddenly, causing Sakura to momentarily forget what was going through her mind.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the Kazekage as she was unable to register what he was saying. "...what?"

"I'm coming with you." Gaara repeated himself, somewhat slower than before. "I want to make sure you two get there safely, and I also need to discuss some things with Tsunade about our alliance... that's all."

"I guess that's fine..." Sakura said softly as she her body slumped into the bench.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"...No." Sakura said sternly after several moments, sitting up straight to look at the male next to her.

"And what about him?" Gaara asked, staring into the space right in front of him, not making eye contact with Sakura.

"No, things are just easier the way they are. Why complicate it?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Gaara said as he turned to look at the pinkette with a stern look.

Sakura opened her mouth to retaliate but was stopped as a small, petite body jumped into her arms.

"Mommy!" Natsumi squealed as she flung her arms around her mother.

"Hi, baby." Sakura smiled as she hugged her child tightly before letting go to look at her face. "Are you ready to go?"

"Do we have to?" Natsumi pouted, giving her mother the same look she gives Gaara.

"Yes, we have to go home and pack for tomorrow, remember?" Sakura said as she placed Natsumi back on the ground, not having the same effect the Kazekage had with the look. "Now come on, say goodbye to Gaara. We'll see him tomorrow."

Natsumi grinned madly at hearing the news, and wrapped her arms around Gaara, giving him a hug. "Bye Ra! See you tomorrow!" She said as she let go to join her mother.

Gaara smiled at the little girl and gave her a small wave as Sakura grabbed her daughter's hand and began to walk home. The red-haired male remained in the same spot he was in as he watched the two walk away, giving the pinkette a saddened expression as she left his view.

_'She can keep this from him, but I cannot do that to my friend.'_

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**Review please, let me know what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : Thank you all for your feedback! I'm glad people are enjoying this so far. A special thanks to those who reviewed: duron300, happy everyday life, and all the guest users. Now to clear up any confusions this is a NaruSaku story, and for those who guessed it Natsumi is Sakura and Naruto's child. I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue on to read. Please leave a review on your thoughts and any questions you have.**

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_Chapter 2_

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"Natsumi, we have to go. Gaara is waiting for us, and we're already running late." Sakura said as she stood near the front door of her apartment.

Sakura had her bag, and her daughter's, strapped on to her back, all set to leave. Natsumi had to only carry one item, which was her favorite stuffed pig, but she was still reluctant about leaving her home.

"Mommy, why are we leaving?" Natsumi asked softly, nervously playing with her stuffed pig's ear.

Sakura gave her daughter a small smile as she crouched down to her height. "Sweety, it's just a small vacation. You're going to meet your grandma, and a bunch of new people."

"Family?" Natsumi said as her eyes twinkled with delight at just the thought of the subject; Natsumi always wanted to meet new family members.

"Yes, you're going to meet a lot of family members." Sakura answered, playfully ruffling her daughter's bright orange hair. "Now, are you ready?"

Natsumi smiled brightly, showing her pearly white canines, as she took her mother's hand and exited their Suna home.

The duo took less than five minutes to arrive at the gates where the Kazekage and his siblings were waiting patiently. Once Temari and Kankuro was in sight the small child released her mother and sprinted towards them, shouting their names at the same time.

"Temari! Kankuro!" She squealed excitedly as she jumped up into Kankuro's arms first.

The puppet master caught the girl with ease and began to spin her around, causing laughter to emerge from the both of them. When he came to a stop the girl looked at him with a huge smile upon her face.

"When did you get back? Are you coming with us? Wh-"

"Whoa Sumi, one question at a time." He chuckled, pinching her cheeks fondly.

"Okay, just answer those two!"

"Well, we got back last night and... yes, we are coming with you today."

Natsumi's large eyes beamed with joy, "Really?" She asked.

"Yeah," Kankuro said with a nod. "We have to watch that stiff, old Kazekage of ours." He finished causing Natsumi to giggle.

"Hey, don't keep her all to yourself." Temari cut in as she snatched Natsumi out of Kankuro's arms.

"Temari!" Natsumi laughed as she embraced the woman.

"Hi, Sumi-chan. I missed you so much, baby!"

Sakura smiled as she watched the siblings interact with her child. She was grateful to have the three around to help her with Natsumi whenever she needed it. Being a single parent wasn't exactly a walk in the park but with the help of the siblings it was a hell of a lot easier.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan." Gaara said politely, capturing Sakura's attention.

"Good morning Gaara! Are we all ready to go?" She asked cheerfully.

Gaara replied with a nod. "Yes, we are all set. Shall we?" He said gesturing towards the gate.

Sakura nodded with a smile and began to follow the siblings as they proceeded out of the village with Natsumi. Sakura released a sigh as she walked past the gates and out of the village, she was finally returning to the place she once called home.

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Tsunade sat in her office fumbling with the pen in her hand, too excited to remain calm and still. She received news that the Kazekage and his group left Suna about two days ago which meant that they would be arriving in Konoha at any moment now. Of course Tsunade was excited to see Sakura and the others, but it was the child that made her all giddy and nervous-like. This was the first time Tsunade- or anyone in Konoha for that matter- was going to see the five-year old Haruno. Though Tsunade was ecstatic to finally meet the child, she would not let Sakura get away before telling her the details about who the father of the child was. She wouldn't be surprised if the Kazekage turned out to be the father, but Tsunade had a gut feeling it was a little more complicated than that.

A soft knock interrupted the Hokage's scrambled thoughts causing her to snap back into reality. "Come in!" She yelled loud enough to be heard.

The door opened slightly and Ino slipped through the opening, closing it behind her once she was inside.

"Tsunade-sama," Ino said as she bowed respectively to the woman.

"Oh come, Ino," Tsunade said as she waved the girl over. "There's no need to be so formal. What brings you here?"

"Is it true?" Ino blurted out without hesitation.

"Is what true...?"

"That forehead is coming back today!?" Ino said excitedly as a smile creeped on to her face.

Tsunade couldn't help but grin at how fast the news traveled around. "Yes," she answered. "She's scheduled to arrive today with the Kazekage. She will be here at any moment."

"Do you think she'll stay...?" Ino asked softly as she glanced out of the large window, avoiding any eye contact with her teacher.

"To be honest, I'm not sure..." Tsunade said solemnly. "But, I suppose it's our job to convince her to, huh?" She grinned.

Ino slowly turned her head towards the elder blonde with a grin on her face to match. "Of course! Let me know as soon as she gets here, I want to be one of the first ones who gets to see her."

"I will, don't worry." Tsunade said as she watched the young woman spin around and leave her office.

Tsunade sighed as she began to play with the pen in her hand once again. She knew she wasn't going to get anything accomplished with her mind not focusing correctly, so all she could do was just sit and wait for Sakura to finally return home...

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Sakura stopped and stared in awe at the town that lied only a few feet in front of her. She couldn't grasp the fact that she was returning back to her village, it had been a long time since she the day she decided to leave. Sakura held her sleeping child in her arms as she gently rocked back and forth while the three siblings talked with Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Everything okay?" Sakura asked as the three neared closer to her.

"Yes, everything is fine." Gaara said. "I think it would be best if Sakura-chan and I go see the Hokage while you two go check into the hotel for us."

"Okay, give us your bags so you won't be carrying it around the village." Temari said, helping Sakura remove the bags from her back while Kankuro took Gaara's.

Kankuro glanced at the sleeping child in Sakura's arms. "Do you want me to take her?" He asked.

"No, she should be waking up soon but thank you." Sakura declined, receiving a small nod from Kankuro in return.

"We'll see you two later then!" Temari said with a small wave as she entered the village with Kankuro following from behind.

Gaara and Sakura entered the village also, heading in a different direction than the other two. They walked through the busy streets of Konoha, receiving a number of different stares and whispers from onlookers. Sakura clutched on to her child in a protective way causing Natsumi to stir slightly. The small girl rubbed her eyes tiredly as a yawn escaped her lips.

"Are we there yet, Mommy?" Natsumi asked, her eyes not fully open yet.

"Yes, we just got inside the village." Sakura said to her daughter. "Would you like me to put you down?" She asked, glancing at Natsumi's orange locks.

Natsumi nodded slightly causing Sakura to gently place her on her feet. Natsumi grasped her mother's hand and began to walk in synch with the two adults. Her large emerald eyes fluttered open and instantly began to gawk at her new surroundings, amazed by the site of the large village. Natsumi stared at the villagers she passed by with a look of curiosity, which in return gave a similar look back to the child and her mother.

"Mommy, what's that?" Natsumi tugged on her mother's arm, pointing up at the mountain with the faces carved into it.

"That's the Hokage Mountain, it has every single one of Konoha's Hokages carved into it." Sakura explained simply.

"Oh okay." Natsumi said quietly as she allowed herself to be dragged by her mother in silence.

They neared a large, red building and continued to walk in side without a second thought. Natsumi looked around her surroundings nervously as they proceeded through the building. She was unfamiliar of everything around her and it frightened her a bit.

Gaara stopped suddenly in front of a desk with a woman sitting behind it, absorbed in the paperwork in front of her. The woman had short, black hair with dark eyes to match, and she wore a simple black kimono. Next to her feet laid a small pig that wore a pearl collar and a red jacket, of which, immediately caught Natsumi's attention.

"Oh my gosh!" Natsumi squealed as she ran over to the pig, ignoring her mother's shouts of protest. "She's so **cute**!"

The woman's head snapped upright at all of the commotion going on. She stared wide-eyed at the Kazekage and the pink kunoichi in front of her, unable to get any words out for several seconds.

"Sa-Sakura!" She cried as she moved to embrace the pinkette tightly causing her to stumble back slightly.

Sakura let out a small laugh and hugged the woman back. "Shizune, I'm glad to see you too."

"It's been such a long time since I last saw you." Shizune said as she released Sakura from her tight hold. "Oh, you've changed so much... your hair!" She exclaimed as she stared at the long, pink hair that ran down past Sakura's back.

Sakura blushed while Shizune continued to examine over her. "Yeah, I decided to let it grow."

"Oh, Kazekage-sama!" Shizune bowed, mentally beating herself for forgetting he was there. "I apologi-"

"No need for the apologies." Gaara said with a small smile. "I understand the excitement that must being going around with Sakura-chan's arriv-"

"Mommy!" Natsumi yelled suddenly, gathering everyone's attention. "Can I keep her?" She asked as she held up the small pig to show to everyone.

"Sumi, put her _down_." Sakura hissed at her child.

Shizune laughed lightly at the child as she crouched down to her height. "And who might you be?"

"I am..." Natsumi said, pausing for a moment to put the pig back on her feet. "Natsumi Haruno!"

"Well, hello Natsumi. I'm Shizune." The woman said with a smile, holding out her hand for the young Haruno to take.

Natsumi excitedly shook the woman's hand. "Are you my grandma?"

"Oh no," Shizune laughed, shaking her head. "You're grandma is in there." She pointed to the large doors in front of her, assuming that Tsunade was this "grandma" that Sakura's daughter was talking about.

"Okay! Come on Ra! Let's go see her." Natsumi shouted as she grabbed the Kazekage's hand and pulled him to the doors that Shizune was talking about.

Sakura stared at Shizune as she stood up straight and dusted off her kimono. "You knew?" She asked.

Shizune looked up at the pinkette with a small smile. "Yes, Tsunade-sama informed me about her but I am the only other person who knows."

"Okay, good." Sakura said as she let out a relieved sigh.

"But do you plan to keep the fact that she's your daughter from everyone, Sakura?" Shizune asked.

"No- I don't know..." Sakura answered nervously as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Sakura... she looks just like you! The only difference is the hair color." Shizune informed her. "Her calling you "mommy" also gives away your little secret."

"I-"

"Mommy, are you coming?" Natsumi called her mother, waiting for her with Gaara in front of the doors to Tsunade's office.

Sakura glanced back and forth at Natsumi and Shizune for a moment, but before she could open her mouth Shizune made her decision for her.

"Go. Tsunade-sama has been dying to see you two." She said with a smile.

Sakura returned Shizune's smile and nodded. She turned on her heels and walked over to Gaara and Natsumi, grabbing her daughter's open hand.

"Are you ready to go meet Grandma?"

Natsumi nodded eagerly in response, while Sakura knocked on the large doors roughly.

"Come in!"

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**A/N : That's all for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : Wow, I'm so glad that so many people are enjoying my story! Thanks to all that favorite, followed, etc. I love the reviews, and I listen to what you guys say and try to incorporate it into my writing. To those who reviewed, I would like to thank: NeoJubiSannin1870, ZeroTails317, XxAshishxX, duron300, and all the guest who reviewed. I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer, and I hope you enjoy.**

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_Chapter 3_

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Tsunade sat behind her desk watching anxiously as the door to her office slowly crept open. The first thing she spotted was the Kazekage's auburn hair as he entered first, followed by blurs of orange and pink, and instantly the Hokage's face filled with delight. Tsunade could not process her thoughts correctly as she stared at the three in front of her, overwhelmed with joy.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at Tsunade's reaction; she could not remember another moment in time where Tsunade was at a loss for words like she was now. The young mother picked up her child and maneuvered around the desk to stand next to her sensei, who stared up at Sakura dumb-founded.

"Shishou this is Natsumi. Natsumi this is your grandmother." Sakura introduced the two, gently bouncing Natsumi in her arms.

Tsunade stared at Sakura for a moment, surprised to hear the term "grandmother" used to describe herself. Sakura, on the other hand, felt it was only right if her child called Tsunade "grandma" since the woman was like a second mother to her. She taught her all the things her parents could not, and made it her job to watch over the pinkette after her parents passed away. The bond they shared was truly something unbreakable.

"Baa-chan!" Natsumi squealed enthusiastically as she extended her arms towards the elder blonde without any hesitation or fear.

Tsunade had a wide smile on her face as she took the child from Sakura's arms. "And how old are you, Natsumi?" She asked, finally being able to get out her words.

"I'm five!" Natsumi answered as held up five fingers for her grandmother to see.

"Wow!" Tsunade exclaimed. "You're a big girl! When are you turning six?"

"Ugh..." Natsumi paused, taping her chin, trying to remember the date her mother told her. "Oh! August 26!"

Tsunade chuckled softly at the young. "Isn't that in a few weeks?"

"Mhmm!" Natsumi nodded.

"Well, I guess we are going to have to throw a big party! Would you like that?" Tsunade asked as Natsumi's face beamed with delight.

The five-year old nodded her head excitedly causing Tsunade to laugh. Sakura smiled as she watched the two talk as if they had met before. The young Kazekage stood behind the pinkette, resting a hand on her shoulder as he watched silently with a smile on his face also.

"Mommy? Ra?" Natsumi called as she turned to look at the two. "I'm hungry." She whined.

Gaara let out a soft laugh as he moved to scoop the small girl from Tsunade's arms. "I'll take her to get something to eat while you two catch up." Gaara offered.

Sakura nodded towards the man, allowing him to take her child without protesting.

"I'll be back in a few." Gaara told the women as he opened the door to leave. "Say bye, Sumi."

"Bye Mom! Bye Baa-chan!" Natsumi called before the door shut closed, leaving Tsunade and Sakura alone in the room.

The two remained quiet for a few moments before Tsunade opened her mouth to break the peaceful silence. "Sakura, she's beautiful..." she breathed out, a small smile on her face.

Sakura gave her sensei a toothy grin as she made herself comfortable by sitting on the desk, facing Tsunade. "Thank you, Shishou. She's a handful though, she has too much energy for me at times."

"She looks just like you," Tsunade said as she laid back in her chair, "the only difference is the hair."

"Shizune said the same thing." Sakura laughed.

"How did she manage to have the bright orange color?" Tsunade asked. "Is it from the father?"

"I have no idea." Sakura shrugged.

Tsunade stared at Sakura with a look of curiosity as she opened her mouth to ask the question that remained in her head since earlier in the day. "Who is the father, Sakura?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know, Shishou. It was a one night stand, and I never talked to the guy after it; it's like he disappeared or something." Sakura lied, knowing exactly who Natsumi's father was and where she could find him.

Tsunade gave the pinkette a pointed look, not believing a word of what she just said. Tsunade knew Sakura too well, she could tell whether the girl was lying or not by a single glance. Tsunade also saw someone else when she looked at Natsumi. Even though the child looked remarkably similar to her mother there was some features that Tsunade saw that reminded her someone else, but the problem was that she couldn't figure out who though.

"Sakura." Tsunade said sternly. "Who is the father?"

Sakura stared at her hands, which were folded on her lap, contemplating on whether or not to tell the truth. She took a deep breath and looked up at Tsunade who was waiting patiently for the girl to answer her question.

"It's Naruto," she confessed. "Naruto is Natsumi's father."

Tsunade remained silent for several moments, her eyes squinted, as she tried to recall how the two were years ago. Suddenly, Tsunade's eyes widened as she realized something extremely important that was happening around the time Sakura left Konoha. "Naruto and Hinata were engaged..." She said softly.

Sakura looked away from her sensei's stare as feelings of guilt and regret flooded through her. She didn't want to relive what she did, but it happened and she couldn't go back in time to change what she did. Even if Sakura had the opportunity to go back to fix her wrong doing she wouldn't. Regardless of all the bad that could be seen in the situation Natsumi managed to come from it, and Sakura could never be thankful enough for being blessed with her child.

"That's why you left... you were pregnant with his chi-"

"I didn't know I was pregnant when I decided to leave." Sakura interrupted, making sure Tsunade knew exactly what happened. "I couldn't face everyone after what I did, especially not Hinata, so I left. A couple weeks after I arrived at Suna was then that I realized I was pregnant with Naruto's child..."

Sakura looked up at Tsunade with sad eyes as she continued on with her story. "I couldn't come back, Shishou... I couldn't return back to Konoha and force this child on Naruto and Hinata's marriage. I couldn't bring myself to do it... I was terrified..."

"Of what, Sakura?"

"Of what everyone was going to say... I was scared of how I- how my child was going to be treated because of something foolish I did. I just couldn't bring myself to return home, Shishou. I was a coward..."

Tsunade sighed as she stood up to embrace the pinkette in a hug. Sakura was shocked at the initial contact but hugged the blonde back nonetheless. She tried to stop the water that was threatening to fall from her eyes, but her efforts were proven useless. Sakura soon found herself crying over the situation after being strong about it for so many years.

"It's okay, Sakura." Tsunade said softly as she allowed the girl to cry in her shoulder. "I understand it's scary to face the consequences of something you did wrong, but running away from them does not make anything any better."

Sakura whipped her eyes and let go of Tsunade, now face-to-face with the blonde. Tsunade looked into Sakura's emerald eyes, not angry or disappointed in the girl, but with a look of understanding; a look that a mother would give her child. Tsunade knew that all Sakura needed was a small push in the right direction, scolding or yelling at the girl would be pointless especially since the pinkette felt guilty enough about what she did.

"You know what's the right thing to do..." Tsunade said softly to the girl. "You have to tell him, Sakura."

Sakura took a deep breath as she jumped down from the desk. "I don't know if I can, Shishou. I know it's right but it's too late..."

"It's never too late, Sakura." Tsunade said with a small smile. "In the end, the choice is yours. Just remember, the right thing to do is never the easiest."

Sakura nodded in response to Tsunade and left without speaking another word. She knew telling Naruto- and Hinata- was the right thing to do, but she wasn't sure if she could actually do it when the moment presented itself. She sighed a loud as she proceeded to leave the building, giving Shizune only a slight wave on the way out. Sakura was going to have think thoroughly about the situation and what she wanted to do, but at the current moment the only person she wanted to be with was her daughter. Sakura knew there was a couple places the Kazekage and the girl could have gone, but Sakura knew her daughter well enough to know exactly where to go to find the duo.

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Temari and Kankuro sat at Ichiraku's for lunch trying to decide on what flavor ramen they wanted to have. Originally, their plan was to wait for Gaara and Sakura to return so they could all eat together, but they couldn't wait any longer as the minutes of sitting and waiting turned into hours. They both agreed to go out into the village to get something to eat and Ichiraku's was the first place they came across.

Kankuro squinted his eyes at the menu. "I think I'll just have something simple; I'll take a bowl of miso ramen." He decided as he put down the menu and folded his hands behind his head, relaxing back into the chair he was in.

"I'll get the same thing." Temari said to young waitress in front of them, handing her the menus that was given to the siblings a few moments ago.

"Ayame, I'll have the same thing too!" The loud blond yelled as he entered the small restaurant, taking a seat next to the two sand siblings.

"Are you sure that's all Naruto?" The brunette asked, slightly surprised.

The young man gave the woman one of his famous grins. "For right now, yeah!" He said with a laugh as Ayame made her way back into the kitchen.

"Oi, Naruto!" Kankuro said excitedly as embraced the blond next to him. "It's been a while since we were last here, eh?"

"Yeah, I didn't know you guys where coming to Konoha. Baa-chan doesn't tell me anything anymore!" He whined playfully as he gave Temari a hug also.

Temari studied the blond in front of her, noticing how much he changed over a couple years. "Well, it looks like someone's all grown up now, huh?" She said joking as she playfully scratched the stubble on his chin.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Temari." Naruto said proudly with a grin on his face.

Ayame emerged from the kitchen with the bowls in her hands and placed them in front of her three customers. "Enjoy!" She said cheerfully while turning on her heels and heading back into the kitchen where she came from.

"So, why did you guys decide to come back to Konoha after so long?" Naruto asked curiously, breaking apart his chopsticks and diving into his food without any hesitation.

"Gaara had to meet with your Hokage to discuss some things about the alliance." Temari answered the blond as she began to blow on the steaming noodles caught in between her chopsticks.

"How long are you staying for?"

"A couple weeks." Temari answered as she began to eat her food.

"And where is Gaara? You said he was here to meet with Baa-chan, right?" He asked excitedly, raising his head towards the siblings.

Kankuro swallowed the food in his mouth before answering Naruto's question. "He went to check in with Tsunade- him and Sakura."

Naruto's excited expression suddenly changed to a more serious one at just the mention of the pinkette's name. "Oh, she's back too?" He asked, his voice not as cheerful as it was moments ago.

"Wow, Naruto," Temari said, "I thought you were head over heels for that girl? What happened?" She raised her eyebrow at the blond, waiting for an answer from him.

"I don't know." Naruto lied with a shrug, keeping the same serious look as before. "I guess I grew up."

Kankuro and Temari exchanged looks, both understanding that there was more than what the young man was saying. Naruto pushed his now empty bowl away from him and began to pull out his wallet.

"I'll see you guys later..." He said softly as he placed the right amount of money on the table and turned to leave without saying another word.

Temari watched the sad man's retreating figure until he was no longer in her sight. "What was all that about?" She asked as she turned back to her food.

"I don't know," Kankuro said with a mouth full of noodles. "It probably has something to do with Sakura leaving for six years without saying anything."

"It can't be just that... something must've happened between those two." Temari concurred, pointing her chopsticks at her brother.

Kankuro gave his sister a pointed look. "Don't do it, Temari." He warned.

"Do what?" She asked, pretending to not know what he was currently talking about.

"You know what," he said sharply. "If it was something Sakura wanted us to know about she would've told us by now, don't go around trying to solve some mystery that has nothing to do with us; just let them be."

"Whatever, Kankuro," she said with a sigh, "I wasn't even planning to do anything like that."

"Good. I'm sure whatever is going on between those two will be solved now that Sakura is back, just let them work this out on their own. It's probably nothing serious anyway." Kankuro said, slurping the rest of the soup from the bowl.

Temari sent her brother a small glare as she finished her bowl of ramen also. She had a gut feeling there was something Sakura was hiding from them, and- whether Kankuro liked it or not- Temari was determined to find out what was really going on.

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Gaara sat on a bench watching Natsumi as she played in the sandbox with a young, brown-haired boy she just met. He wasn't sure on how she did, but the young, clever Haruno managed to talk the Kazekage into taking her to the park located next the Academy. They had passed the park on their way to find something to eat, and the young girl did not stop talking about it throughout their lunch. Eventually, he found himself agreeing to her request to play- like always- and took the small girl to the park she saw.

Gaara noticed a blur of pink hair enter the park, and turned to see Sakura coming in his direction. "How did you know?" He asked as she neared closer.

"I know my child like the back of my hand." Sakura laughed, taking a seat next to Gaara on the bench.

The Kazekage glanced over the pinkette for a moment and almost immediately noticed how red her eyes were, which he assumed was from crying recently. "You told her?"

"I had to," she said, running a hand through her hair, "I can't lie to her."

"What did she say?" Gaara asked, looking at the pinkette who had her eyes focused on her child.

"Basically the same thing you've been saying." Sakura said with a slight laugh.

"I see." Gaara said with a small grin as he turned to look at Natsumi once again.

Sakura let out an audible sigh and rested her head against Gaara's shoulder. "...I just don't know though..."

"If you can't find a reason to do it for yourself, or Naruto, at least do it for Sumi..." Gaara said as he watched the little girl in the sandbox. "I think she would love to meet her father."

The young girl of which they were talking about turned towards them and waved excitedly, a big grin on her face. She then turned back to the boy in front of her, continuing their conversation.

"...my mom lived here once, way before I was born." Natsumi said as she packed the sand into the small bucket.

"Oh," the young boy said timidly, watching Natsumi play.

"You never told me your name!" She said suddenly.

"My name?" He repeated softly.

"Yeah!" Natsumi exclaimed, dumping the sand out of the bucket. "Mine is Natsumi Haruno! What's yours?"

"Kai..." the boy answered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

Natsumi gave the boy a look, waiting for him to finish giving her his full name.

"Kai Inuzuka."

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**A/N : That's all for today! Sorry to leave you at such a crappy spot. Leave a review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N : Hey, everyone! First, to answer some questions... One, I'm sorry but Hinata and Kiba do get pared up in this story, not because that's her second option but because I honestly just like that pairing together (I have my reasons). Two, Sasuke will show up eventually so don't worry! Three, there is no Hinata bashing at all in this fanfic, I just personally think she is better off with Kiba (that's just my opinion). Anyways, ****I appreciate all your suggestions but I don't always use them (I'm sorry for that), I hope you all will still enjoy the story nonetheless. **

**Thanks to all those that reviewed: XxLunaHeartifiliaXx, 25BAM50, HaveManners, XxAshishxX, alykailyn96, warrof, duron300, ZeroTails317, rheiann09, Realkilla9944 (Guest), Sanbi (Guest), Nanai (Guest), Suave Jiraiya, and KCWolfman**

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_Chapter 4_

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Sakura had decided to start her day early with Natsumi, leaving the others to remain sleeping in their hotel rooms. Sakura wanted to take the small girl shopping for clothes because, one, she was growing out of her current ones and, two, she wanted to get her something nice to wear on her birthday which was less than two weeks away. They had a small breakfast in the hotel before leaving to go to the stores as soon as they opened.

They spent the day in several different stores, accumulating multiple bags, and they were currently in a shop that consisted of formal clothing for children. Sakura was glancing through the racks of the colorful kimonos, looking for something that complimented her daughters bright orange hair.

"What about this one, Sumi?" Sakura asked as she held up a light green kimono with little, orange flowers on them.

"Mommy, do I have to wear something like that?" Natsumi whined, folding her arms in protest.

"Don't you want to look pretty?" Sakura asked. "It's only for your birthday, one day and that's it."

"Why can't I wear this?" Natsumi asked, gesturing to the casual attire she was wearing.

Sakura let out a soft laugh, "Because it's a special day for you. You're supposed to look and feel like a princess, Sumi!"

Natsumi sighed and took a look a the small kimono in her mothers hands, it wasn't so bad. She placed her small hands on the soft fabric as a smile crept to her face. "Fine," she said, "I'll wear it."

Sakura grinned at her little girl and headed towards the cash register with the kimono in her hands. Natsumi stood at the rack scanning over the kimonos in front of her while her mother stood at the register paying for her birthday outfit. Natsumi was actually extremely excited to spend her birthday in Konoha, and she didn't mind wearing a pretty kimono for the special occasion despite the facade she put up.

"Mommy?" Natsumi called, nearing her mother who was handing over the money to the cashier.

"Yes, baby?" Sakura asked without looking down at her child.

"Can Kai come to the party?" Natsumi asked as she played with the bottom of the summer dress her mother was wearing.

"Kai?" Sakura repeated as the cashier gave her back some change in bills and coins.

Natsumi grabbed her mother's open hand. "Yeah, Kai! He's the shy boy I met in the park yesterday." She explained cheerfully.

"I would have to meet his parents first. Did you find out what is his last name?" Sakura asked as she proceeded out of the store.

"Yeah! It's In... ugh... Inzu... um... Inzuka!" She finally managed to figure out.

"Oh, okay." Sakura said absent-mindedly, not fully realizing what her daughter had said because she was too busy trying to steer the duo through the crowded streets of Konoha.

Natsumi smiled brightly at hearing a yes come from her mother's mouth. She clutched on to her mother's hand as she allowed herself to be led through the mob of people. They finally reached a less crowded street and slowed down their pace to a more comfortable one.

"Mommy, where are we going now?" Natsumi asked curiously.

Sakura looked down at Natsumi with a small smile, then looked back up at the flower shop standing directly across the street from them. "To visit one of your aunts," she answered, "she's going to be so happy to finally meet you."

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The young Kazekage stood in Tsunade's office across from the woman who was sitting behind her desk. Gaara had decided to bring himself to her office to discuss some things without a specific orange-haired child or her mother present.

"So you plan to tell him yourself?" Tsunade asked the young man with her hands folded together, pressed lightly against her mouth.

"If she does not do it then I will take matters into my own hands." Gaara said firmly. "No offense to your pupil, Hokage-sama, but she is extremely foolish for keeping this from him for so long. It has been over six years already, she cannot keep this a secret any longer. Sumi is starting to question everything around her, she's bound to ask about her father sometime soon."

Tsunade nodded in agreement with the young man. "I'm not arguing with you," she said, "but I feel that you should at least give Sakura the benefit of the doubt. If she doesn't spill her little secret by Natsumi's birthday then you can tell Naruto. Fair enough?"

The auburn-haired Kazekage nodded, agreeing with the terms Tsunade offered. The offer that she gave was fair and Gaara would much rather have Sakura tell Naruto then himself; he didn't want to be the one to break the news to his blond friend. If Sakura told Naruto Gaara would be beyond ecstatic, but he knew how unlikely that was of happening. Sakura was too frightened of what might happen and what might be said that she refused to tell the truth to the blonde-haired male.

"I believe Sakura could do it," Tsunade said, "she just needs some time."

"She's had time... six years of it to be exact." Gaara told the Hokage.

"It'll be different this time..." Tsunade sighed. Gaara had a point but she was still going to defend Sakura, knowing that the pinkette would prove the Kazekage wrong.

Gaara gave a slight nod to the blonde and turned his head slightly, looking out the large glass windows in the office. Tsunade ran her hand through her hair with a sigh and relaxed back into the chair. Even though she was excited to have Sakura and Natsumi in Konoha it caused her a lot more stress than expected.

"Is she going to stay here once Naruto knows?" Tsunade said suddenly, the thought occurring to her mind.

Gaara shrugged his shoulders and remained quiet. He wasn't sure what the pinkette was going to do, and she didn't mention anything to him either. Sakura had built herself a pretty good reputation back in Suna, and was well on her way to becoming an important figure in the village. Gaara also knew how important it would be for Natsumi to be around her father though, and staying in Konoha would be best for the little girl. The Kazekage knew this problem must have appeared in Sakura's mind once or twice, but he also knew the pinkette well enough to know that she most likely pushed it to the side to deal with it another day.

"BAA-CHAN!" A loud roar was heard as the door flew opened with a loud bang, and a blond male stood in the door way breathing heavily.

Gaara turned to look at the blond with an amused look on his face. He looked at his friend noticing a few slightly different features in his appearance but overall he still looked like the same knuckle-head ninja he knew years ago.

"**Naruto!**" Tsunade yelled angrily, a vein popping out her forehead. "**What did I tell you about coming into my office without knocking!?**"

"Oh, Baa-chan." Naruto let out a small chuckle, dismissing the blonde as he walked over to Gaara to embrace him in a tight hug. "I saw Temari and Kankuro yesterday and they told me you were in town also." He said as he let go the Kazekage.

"How did you know I was here?" Gaara asked with a smile.

"I didn't!" Naruto said with a grin, rubbing the back of his head. "I came here to demand Baa-chan to tell me where you were but it was just luck to find you here too."

Gaara shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle. "I had to discuss some things with Tsunade-sama so I decided to come early to get it out the way," he explained.

"Which was supposed to private meeting, involving only Kages" Tsunade added, sending a small glare to the blond.

Naruto laughed at Tsunade's remark. "Come on, Baa-chan. I'm a Hokage in training, so technically I am allowed to hear what ever you two are talking about."

"I doubt you would want to..." Tsunade mumbled under her breath, not loud enough for the "Hokage in training" to hear.

"What were you talking about anyways?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Trading between our villages," Gaara lied easily, "and the Chunin Exams since they are being held in Konoha this year."

"Oh, that's right! Konohamaru and his team are finally able to take it this year." Naruto said as he folded his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes slightly as his mind suddenly drifted to a certain pink-haired female. "Where is-... nevermind..."

"Where is who, Naruto?" Tsunade asked as she raised an eyebrow at the said male. She knew what he was going to say, but Naruto refused to bring up the pinkette even if it was only Tsunade around.

"Nothing..." He answered solemnly, his eyes remaining closed.

Gaara glanced at Tsunade who only gave a sad look at the blond male. "Naruto," Gaara called, "do you want to go out to lunch? I was planning to get something to eat after I finished talking with Tsunade-sama."

Naruto's bitter mood suddenly vanished and was replaced by a more excited one. His big, cerulean eyes sprang open as he looked at the Kazekage with a smile on his face. "Sure!" Naruto answered as he turned and began to make his way out of Tsunade's office.

Gaara followed the blond without any argument and gave a small wave to the Hokage as they left her office, leaving her with her thoughts.

Tsunade sighed as she rested her head on her desk. She thought having Sakura back in the village would cause Naruto to talk about the girl, even want to go see her, but the blond showed no sign of improvement; Naruto still refused to bring up the girl on his own in conversation. If Sakura was planning to eventually tell Naruto about their child they would first have to be civil acquaintances with one another.

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Ino sat in the back room of the flower shop flipping through a magazine as Shikamaru slept in the chair next to her. The shop was having a slow day which meant that Ino could relax and practically do nothing until closing time. Shikamaru had the day off, so he used the time he had to catch up on sleep in various hiding places throughout the day. The two was glad to finally have some quiet to themselves as their bundle of joys spent the day out with their grandparents.

The bell on the desk in the shop went off, and Ino sighed as she got up to go answer a customer. She exited the back room and enter the shop with a small on her face. "How may I help-"

Sakura stood in front of the counter with a small smile as Ino stood frozen behind it, shocked to see Sakura standing before her. Several moments passed before Ino could open her mouth to say something to the pinkette in front of her. The blonde released an ear-splitting squeal as she ran towards Sakura to embrace her in a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh!" Ino breathed out as she loosened her grip around Sakura to get a better look at her. "Look at you... you grew out your hair!"

Sakura laughed as she allowed her best friend to gawk over her. Ino kept looking over Sakura's appearance, pointing out any differences she saw on the female. It had been six years since they last saw one another and Ino couldn't help but notice how different the pinkette looked.

"... but your forehead is still big as ever." Ino finished as she poked Sakura's forehead with a laugh.

"Shut it, Ino-_pig_." Sakura retorted with a grin, emphasizing the pig part.

Ino let out a sigh as she looked at Sakura with gentle eyes. "I missed you."

Sakura gave Ino a sad smile as her eyes began to water. "I'm so-"

"No apologizing and no crying." Ino said sternly, wiping a tear from Sakura's eye. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to- even though I'm dying to know what possibly caused you to get up and leave out of the blue... I'm just glad your back home."

Sakura nodded and wiped her eyes. "I have something to tell you..." Sakura said nervously, running a hand through her long, pink hair.

"What is it?" Ino asked, a number of theories going through her head. "Are you dating someone? Are you married?"

"What? No, neither of those." Sakura answered with a laugh.

"Then what is it?" Ino said eagerly.

"Sumi, come here." Sakura called, looking behind her as the small orange-haired child appeared from one of the aisles and skipped towards her mother.

"Yes, mommy?"

Ino stood flabbergasted as she watched Sakura pick up the girl and hold her on her hip. The resemblance was definitely there, and Ino did not have any doubts that the small girl belonged to her best friend. It took Ino a moment to swallow down the information that was just thrown at her, but she finally managed to unscramble her thoughts and say something to the duo.

"She's yours..." Ino said breathlessly.

Sakura answered with a nod. "Ino this is Natsumi."

"She's beautiful." Ino said softly as she held out her arms to Natsumi, who accepted the offer and jumped into her arms. "You've got your mother's eyes... and how old are you?"

"Five!" Natsumi said cheerfully, holding up five fingers.

"Oh, just like my son." Ino said, receiving a surprised look from Sakura.

"Can I meet him?" Natsumi asked, her big emerald eyes staring up at Ino.

Ino gave a soft laugh, "Sure! Be careful though boys have cooties."

Natsumi's eyes widened with fear at the unknown word. "_Cooties_?"

"Yes! If you get kissed by a boy you get them!" Ino exclaimed as she tickled Natsumi, causing her to laugh.

Natsumi continued to laugh until Ino stopped, hugging the girl tightly. "You're too cute, Natsumi. I don't know why your mother kept you from me for so long." Ino laughed, putting the girl back on her feet.

Natsumi responded with a shrug, an innocent smile on her face. "Does that mean Ra has cooties?" She asked suddenly, tugging on her mother's dress.

"No, sweety." Sakura answered as she grabbed her daughter's hand. "He grew out of that-"

"What's going on out here?" A sleepy voice asked, interrupting the conversation going on. Shikamaru stood in the doorway of the back room rubbing his eyes tiredly as a yawn escaped his lips.

"Shika, look!" Ino said excitedly, waving him over to meet the small Haruno.

Shikamaru eyes widened slightly as he noticed Sakura standing in the shop along with his wife. A small smile managed to sneak on to his face as he approached the group. He gave Sakura a hug once he was in reach, and even though he would not admit it Shikamaru had missed the woman also; they had grown a close friendship with one another after the war. "Well, look who decided to finally come back." He said as he released the pinkette from his embrace.

Sakura laughed as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Konoha was a little too _troublesome_ for me."

The dark-haired male let out a laugh, hearing the woman use his catch phrase. "And this is yours?" He asked, nodding casually towards Natsumi who was clutching on to her mother. He wasn't surprised to see Sakura with a child as his wife was, and if he was he managed to mask it well.

"Yes... say hello Sumi." Sakura said, giving Natsumi a little shove towards Shikamaru.

Shikamaru crouched down to the Natsumi's height. "Hey, little one. What's your name?" He asked, ruffling her hair playfully.

"I'm not little!" Natsumi huffed as she swatted Shikamaru's hand away. "I'm Natsumi Haruno, and I am five years old!"

"You're only five? That's still little..." Shikamaru teased as he stood up to his regular height.

"No it's no-"

Shikamaru cut off the girl by picking her up and flinging her over his shoulder suddenly. Natsumi released a number of giggles as she punched Shikamaru's back.

"Let me down!" She cried with laughter.

"There's coloring books and juice boxes in the back. Why don't we allow the women to talk privately." He said aloud, receiving a grateful look from Sakura as he disappeared in the back room with her child.

"You want to get lunch?" Ino asked the pinkette. "We can go to the dango shop down the street if you want."

Sakura's eyes beamed with delight as she nodded eagerly. "That sounds like a plan."

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"So, you live in Suna with just your mom?" Shikamaru asked without removing his eyes from the picture he was coloring.

"Yup! Just me and mommy!" Natsumi answered, focusing on her coloring also. "I spend a lot of time with Ra too, and we go to the park whenever we want."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Ra?"

"Yeah! He's in charge of the village, and does a lot of paperwork." She explained.

"Oh, okay." Shikamaru said with a nod, realizing that the girl was talking about the Kazekage.

"Then there's Temari and Kankuro too, and they love me a lot."

"They do?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, silly. They say it all the time!" Natsumi giggled, looking up at Shikamaru.

"Sorry," he said with a laugh, "I didn't know."

"It's okay. Do you have any family?"

"Yes," Shikamaru answered, grabbing the blue crayon from the box. "Ino and I are married and we have two kids, Aki and Nani."

"They're my age?" Natsumi asked, taking a sip from her juice box.

"Yeah, Aki is five and Nani is six."

Natsumi's eyes sparkled with delight. "Can they be my friends?"

"Sure, if they want to." Shikamaru said, giving a small smile to the girl.

"Oi, do you want to come to my birthday party, Shikamaru!?" Natsumi asked excitedly.

Shikamaru's smile managed to widened at the small girl's sudden question. "I would love to, Sumi."

Satisfied with the answer she received, Natsumi focused back on her coloring and the two remained in a peaceful silence. The two continued to color and drink their juice boxes until the bell at the counter in the shop was heard.

"Sumi, I'll be right back." Shikamaru said as he got up and left to answer the awaiting customer. "How can I- oh, Naruto!"

The blond stood leaning against the counter with a toothy grin on his face. "Hey Shikamaru, I knew you had the day off and I kind of guessed you were here."

"I guess my hiding spots are too predictable, huh?" Shikamaru responded with a chuckle. He noticed the red-headed Kazekage standing quietly behind the blond and gave a friendly nod in his direction. "I didn't know you were in town, Gaara."

"For two weeks, I need to discuss some things with Tsunade-sama." Gaara answered, his voice loud enough for a certain orange-haired girl to hear from the room she was in.

Natsumi jumped down from the chair she was sitting in and ran out of the room into the shop. "Ra!" She cried excitedly, jumping up into the Kazekage's arms.

Gaara was surprised to see Natsumi running towards him but caught the girl nonetheless. "Sumi, what are you doing here?"

"I was coloring with Shikamaru! Where have you been all day?" She questioned as she held his face in her small hands.

"I had to meet with the Hokage, I was going to take you with me, but when I woke up you were gone." Gaara said with a laugh.

"Baa-chan?" She asked, causing a certain blond to look at her with curiosity.

Naruto looked at the small girl in Gaara's arm with a million questions running through his mind. She looked extremely familiar to him but he was not sure why. He didn't know what to say, or which question to ask first, but his playful personality managed to talk for him before he could ask a more serious question. "Hey! You can't call her Baa-chan!"

"Why not?" Natsumi shouted back at the blond.

"Because only I can call her that!" Naruto yelled playfully, pretending to be upset at the girl.

"That's too bad!" Natsumi retorted, sticking out her tongue towards Naruto.

Naruto let out a deep laugh at the child's antics. "I know she's not yours Shikamaru," he said towards the man behind the counter, "is she yours Gaara?"

"Yes." Gaara lied instantly, trying to keep Sakura's little secret hidden for another day. Even if Naruto did not know the child was his, knowing that the child was Sakura's would still cause him to flip uncontrollably.

Natsumi giggled at Gaara's answer, not knowing why he lied to the blond man. "I'm not yours silly!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at what the small girl had said. "Then who are you?" he asked curiously, and before anyone could stop Natsumi she already opened her mouth to answer the question directed towards her.

"I'm Natsumi Haruno, and I am five years old!"

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**A/N : I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! You will have to wait till next time to see what happens!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N : Hello, everyone! I'm glad most of you liked the previous chapter and I hope this one lives up to your expectations! Thanks to all who favorited and followed! Now, to answer some questions/reviews left by you guys! A few of you spoke on how immature I portrayed Naruto to be, and I do apologize for it because I did not notice until you guys mentioned it. I think he's a lot more serious in this chapter, and I hope you agree. Also I will work to make the Kiba/Hinata pairing more believable as the later chapters roll by because I do like them as a pairing and I wish to make their love more realistic.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed: alykailyn96, Poppy Grave Dreams, KCWolfman, crystal96429, duron300, ZeroTails317, 25BAM50, Guest, Toreh, XxAshishxX, Suave Jiraiya, Freddie4153, NarutoFan (Guest), Sexy Kurenai, Sanbi (Guest)**

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_Chapter 5_

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Naruto stared at the small girl wide-eyed and speechless, unable to fully understand what Natsumi was saying to him. He heard what she said, she was a Haruno, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that Sakura- his Sakura-chan- had a five year-old baby girl. The longer he studied Natsumi's features the easier it became for him to see the resemblance between the pinkette and the child.

There were so many thoughts running through the blond's head and he could not sort through his scattered brain to say something or show a type of reaction to the news dropped upon him. He looked up at Shikamaru and Gaara who were both watching him intently, waiting for his next move. They both knew how unpredictable the blond was when it came to the pink-haired kunoichi. "Haruno..." he repeated in a quiet tone.

Natsumi looked back and forth between Gaara and the blond male unsure of what was going on. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked Gaara softly.

"Your mother is Sakura?" Naruto asked the child, his jaw slightly clenched and his hands balled up into fists.

Natsumi nodded timidly to Naruto, and she huddled closer to Gaara's chest to feel safe and protected. She had no clue what was going on, or why everyone's mood suddenly changed, but she knew that no matter what was going on that Gaara would protect her- his little princess.

The Kazekage watched his friend struggle to keep his easy-going, childish exterior present as waves of anger and confusion appeared on his face. He felt Natsumi move closer to his chest and he hugged her tightly in a protective way. Gaara stroked her orange locks gently, hoping to calm her nerves. "It's okay Sumi," he whispered low enough so only she could hear, "nothing bad is going to happen."

Naruto grabbed the side of the counter to prevent himself from shaking or falling over. His clutched his head with his free hand as it ached in pain. He was so confused on what to do or what to feel, he couldn't process his thoughts. Despite all the emotions he was feeling, he was more angry than anything else. He felt his anger began to build up as the seconds rolled by.

_**She had a child... You risked everything you had for her, and she left to go start her own family.**_ A voiced laughed from inside of Naruto.

_"Don't start Kurama. It's her life, her decision. I cannot be mad over it."_ Naruto tried to reason with the fox, but even he didn't believe what he was saying.

**_She abandoned you, kid. You should be mad- ballistic. She had a child and you're not the father... she probably didn't even consider you anything but a friend- not even, just an associate that she had to deal with- even after that night the two of you shared._ **Kurama taunted the blond.

Naruto's head was slumped downward, his blond hair covering his eyes from the group. He clenched his jaw and all he felt was anger rushing throughout his entire body. He tried to reason with himself but Kurama's words already cast their spell over him, and he was beyond pissed.

"Naruto, there's no need for this." Shikamaru said sternly, moving towards the blond. "There's a child here, she doesn't need-"

Naruto cut off the man's words by clawing the counter with his nails, leaving marks on the surface. "She didn't even care..." Naruto growled in a low tone. He was about to say more until he bit his lip to prevent himself from saying something rude or hurtful, remembering the child was still present. Suddenly, he spun around on his heels and stormed out of the flower shop angrily and clumsily, knocking over several plants in the process.

Natsumi jumped at the sound of the pots crashing on the floor and covered her face in Gaara's chest. "I want mommy..." she cried softly.

The man held the child close to him and rocked her back and forth, trying to sooth the scared child. Gaara looked up at Shikamaru who just shook his head at the blond's retreating figure. The Kazekage let out an audible sigh and placed Natsumi on her feet. "Sumi, I want you to stay here with Shikamaru." He said to the young girl.

"Don't leave me, Ra." Natsumi said softly in a scared voice, wrapping her small arms around herself. "Take me with you."

The Kazekage had a pained look on his face as he shook his head. "I promise I'll be right back. Please just stay here, Sumi." Gaara said as he quickly turned and walked out of the shop, following the direction in which the angry blond had went.

Natsumi stared at the door of the flower shop as tears filled her eyes. "Ra..."

"Come on, Sumi." Shikamaru said gently as he moved to go pick up the girl. "Let's go-"

"No!" Natsumi screamed smacking away the man's hands. "I want Ra!" she cried as she spun around and ran out of the store, chasing after the Kazekage.

Shikamaru eyes widened as he began to run after the small, orange-haired girl. "Sumi!"

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Sakura smiled as she left the small dango shop with Ino in pursuit. The meal she had was fantastic, she absolutely loved dango, and it was nice to catch up with her friend. Sakura knew that Shikamaru and Ino were married and had a baby girl named Nani, but she was surprised to find out that they had a second child; Aki, a boy around Natsumi's age.

During their lunch they talked about their children, and Ino asked Sakura questions about her life in Suna. The pinkette answered the questions truthfully but when Ino asked the woman about Natsumi's father she decided it was best if she lied for now.

"What are you doing later?" Ino asked the woman as they walked down the street.

Sakura thought for a moment before answering Ino's question. "I don't think I'm doing anything, why?"

"You and Sumi should come over for dinner!" She squealed happily causing Sakura to laugh. "So she could meet the kids!"

"That actually sounds like a good idea, Ino. We would love to come ov-" Sakura caught off what she was saying as someone rudely bumped into her. "Oi! Watch where you're going!" She shouted angrily towards the stranger, who came to a sudden stop at the sound of her voice.

The man spun around quickly towards the voice, his blue eyes staring at Sakura a few feet away from him. The annoyance on Sakura's face soon disappeared and was replaced by a look of shock as she stared back at the male.

In her opinion he looked the same as he did the last time she saw him six years ago; the wild blond locks, big blue eyes, tan complexion, and the whisker marks on his cheeks. The only difference she noticed was the small stubble on his chin and the lack of orange in the clothing he was wearing. A small smile managed to sneak on her face as she unconsciously stepped closer to him. "Naru-"

"Stop." He snapped, glaring angrily at the pinkette.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she knew he would be upset at her for leaving but she didn't think he would be this mad. The look of hatred on the blond's face managed to send cold shivers down her spine.

"Naruto, this is not the time and place."

Sakura's head snapped to the source of the voice and was surprised to find Gaara standing next to her with an unreadable expression. Sakura looked at Gaara with confusion, hoping the male would give her some type of answer, but he did not move from staring at the blond across from them.

Naruto pointed his glare at the Kazekage, and Sakura looked between the two of them trying to decipher what was going on. After several seconds Sakura gave up and decided to break the silence going on between the group.

"What's going on-"

"Ra!"

Sakura spun around to the sound of her child's voice and was shocked to see her daughter running towards the group with Shikamaru chasing after her. "Sumi?" Sakura called her daughter, gathering the small child's attention.

"Mommy!" Natsumi cried as she raced into her mother's arms, forgetting about Gaara momentarily. The small girl buried her face into her mother's shoulder, letting out a soft sob.

Sakura tightly held Natsumi against her body as her motherly instincts began to kick in. She glared at the men around her, she was unsure who made her child upset, but she was ready to kill all three.

"Shikamaru, what's going on?" Ino snapped angrily, equally confused as her pink-haired friend.

Shikamaru directed his look towards the blond male who was angrily glaring at the pinkette in front of him. Everyone stared back and forth between Naruto, who remained silent still giving a look of disgust at the young kunoichi, and Sakura, who glared back at the blond with no sign of fear.

The group stood frozen for several moments until realization suddenly dawned on the pinkette about the situation at hand. She looked around her with a slight uncertainty of what her next move should be. Sakura was not planning to have this confrontation with the blond on her second day back in Konoha. She wanted to have some time to relax before she faced the Uzumaki with her child but fate was obviously not on her side.

Sakura knew she had only two choices; stay and tough it out or run. Before anyone could stop her Sakura chose the second option and hastily walked away from the group with Natsumi in her arms, leaving them stunned momentarily at her sudden attempt to escape.

Naruto recovered quickly and angrily spun around on his heels, turning towards the fleeting pinkette. "Are you _**serious** _right now!?" He yelled causing the pinkette to stop in her tracks.

"You leave for **_six _**years and this is what you do when you see me? Run away? Do I have to repeat the fact that its been six years!" He shouted, causing a vein to pop out of his forehead. "_**Six. **_Years. Do you realize what that did to me? But you obviously don't care if you left so easily without letting anyone know."

Sakura felt everyone's eyes on her, not just Ino, Shikamaru, and Gaara, the villagers on the streets were now gawking at the commotion they were causing. Sakura knew she had to eventually have this conversation with the blond but she couldn't have it in front of everyone, especially in front of Natsumi who was clinging tightly onto her.

"No explanation... no letters... nothing. I received nothing from you for six years..." He said, sounding more hurt than anything.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. _You can't do this right now._ She thought to herself as she took a step forward, away from the blond.

"I would do anything for you, give up **_anyone_**, and you don't even have the decency to write me one freakin' letter?" Naruto spat angrily, moving closer to the pinkette. "And then you come back with a child..."

The young woman held her daughter tighter and began to walk away, she would not have this conversation right now and her decision was final. Her large emerald scanned the crowd in front of her and began to maneuver her way through it.

"Stop running away like a child!" Naruto yelled as he moved to chase after the pinkette. "You have a **_daughter_ **now, so act like the adult your supposed to be." He shouted bitterly.

Before Naruto could take another step in Sakura's direction someone grabbed his wrist, bringing him to a stop before he could go any further. Naruto looked up at Gaara who was standing behind him with a sullen expression on his face.

"You're already making a scene," Gaara said nodding to the crowd that formed around them, "don't make matters worse. She can't have this conversation in front of everyone, especially not in front of Natsumi."

"She can't run away from her problems this time." The blond growled as he snatched his wrist out Gaara's hold and walked away, disappearing into the crowd of people.

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Sakura moved quickly through the streets of Konoha gathering some distance between the angry blond and herself. She loosened her grip on her child who still had her face buried into her mother's shoulder. Sakura let out an audible sigh as she slowed down her pace to a leisure walk. She continued to head towards the Hokage's office as her mind continued to race.

"Sumi?" She called her daughter's name softly. The pinkette got no reaction out of her child and decided to continue on. "I'm sorry about what happened back there... I didn't know all of that was going to happen just by leaving you with Shikamaru."

Natsumi slowly lifted her head to look up at her mother who was looking down at her with a saddened expression on her face. "That man and your mommy has a lot to discuss but right now is not the time." Sakura explained.

"I don't like him." Natsumi stated as she furrowed her eyebrows. "He's mean."

Sakura let out a soft laugh and shook her head in amusement. "Don't hate him Sumi," she said, "he has reason behind all the anger he has. I know it's weird for me to say that but give him another chance, I'm sure you'll like him."

Natsumi stared at her mother with a look of confusion but did not question what she was saying. "Mommy, I want to walk now."

The pinkette nodded and put down the small child, walking hand-and-hand through the streets together. Within a few minutes they reached the Hokage's building and Natsumi's eyes widened with excitement. They walked through the building and found themselves in front of Tsunade's office causing Natsumi to squeal with delight.

"Baa-chan!" She said excitedly as she ran towards the large double doors, releasing Sakura's hand.

Sakura saw no sign of Shizune and proceeded to walk towards Tsunade's office. Sakura was about to knock on the doors but before she could Natsumi pushed them open and happily ran inside screaming for Tsunade. Natsumi ran half way into the room calling out "Baa-chan" until she froze seeing the mean man in her grandmother's office.

Naruto stood next to Tsunade's desk as he looked over at the girl and her mother. He clenched his jaw slightly but refrained himself from glaring at the pinkette. Thanks to Tsunade Naruto managed to calm down but it didn't change the fact that he was still angry at the pinkette.

Sakura stood behind her daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder protectively. She did her best to avoid making eye contact with Naruto, but she still felt his eyes on her. She wasn't planning on seeing the blonde male so soon after their small altercation, but it seemed like fate demanded for the two to seriously talk things over.

Tsunade gave a sad small to the both the pinkette and the blonde male in her office before turning her attention to her granddaughter. "Come here, Sumi!" Tsunade said cheerfully as she held out her arms towards the small girl.

Natsumi forgot about the man standing next to her grandmother and ran happily into Tsunade's arm. "Baa-chan!" Natsumi said excitedly.

"Hi, sweetheart! I was just on my way out, would you like to go out for ice cream with me?" Tsunade proposed the idea as she placed the girl on her lap. The outing would give Tsunade an opportunity to spend quality time with her grandchild, and give the other two adults in the room time to have their talk.

Natsumi nodded eagerly in response and jumped out of Tsunade's lap. "Now?"

Tsunade smiled and nodded in response. "Yes, we can go now." Tsunade answered as she stood up out of her chair, grabbing Natsumi's small hand in hers.

"Mommy, I'll see you later, okay?" Natsumi called as she dragged Tsunade out of the room. "I'll be with Baa-chan!"

Naruto watched amused as the small girl dragged the Hokage to go get ice cream; despite how angry Naruto was, he couldn't help but admit that the orange-haired girl was adorable.

The elder blonde laughed as she allowed herself to be pulled by the five-year old. She closed the doors behind them as they exited out of the room, leaving Sakura and Naruto alone.

"Baa-chan? Are they going to have their talk now?" Natsumi asked curiously once they were safely out of the room.

Tsunade gave the child a small smile, "Yes, Sumi. They are going to have to talk eventually, they might as well do it right now."

Natsumi nodded at her grandmother, but she didn't really understand what was going on. The man was so rude and mean towards her mother, she didn't understand why her mom would even want to talk to the man. Natsumi also knew that grown-ups were confusing and constantly did things that she couldn't find reason behind, so she just shrugged off her mother's decision and allowed herself to be caught up in the excitement of ice cream.

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Naruto and Sakura remained silent for several moments after Natsumi and Tsunade left them alone. The tension between the two was great, and neither of the two made any attempts cut it.

Sakura fumbled with her hands and kept her eyes locked there, not trying to look up at the blond across from her. She didn't know what to say to him, and she did not want to say anything that caused him to snap once again.

Naruto stared at the pinkette as she refrained from looking at him. He didn't know where to start to be honest. He wanted to tell her how mad he was at her for leaving, and how hurt he was to find out she had a child, but he couldn't figure out how to explain his feelings in words. When he first saw Sakura in the streets it was easy for him to scream and yell at her because of how mad he was. Now that he was calm and could actually process his own thoughts, he couldn't find it in himself to scream at the pinkette; that was the part that made him the angriest.

A part of Naruto wanted to scream at Sakura and make her feel worthless, but the other part of him still cared for the woman and couldn't bring himself to hurt her. He was stuck on the thin line between the two, and the caring part of him could not express how he felt no matter how angry he was. Yet at the same time, Naruto was not the same little boy who would run back to Sakura no matter what she did, so forgiving the pinkette this time seemed like an impossible thing to do.

"Naruto..." Sakura said softly, finding enough courage to break the silence between them. "I know your mad-"

"Mad?" Naruto interrupted, "That's an understatement."

"Okay, you're pissed at me, and you have every right to be," Sakura said carefully not trying to rile up the blond. "but I am deeply sorry Naruto..."

Naruto turned away from the pinkette and stared out the window. "Do you think it's just that easy, Sakura? A simple apology and everything is fixed? We aren't twelve anymore Sakura, that doesn't work the way it used to."

"I know but I mean it, I'm not saying it just because." Sakura explained to Naruto.

Naruto remained silent and shook his head slightly. "I can't do this... I can't talk to you, Sakura."

Sakura looked at the man with a surprised look. "What do you mean you can't?" Sakura asked.

"I can't explain to you what's going through my head so this whole talk is useless." Naruto sighed. "The only way I can express to you how I'm feeling is if I'm screaming at you the way I did before, and I don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not?" Naruto asked, confused as to why she wanted him to scream at her again.

"You did it once today, what's the big deal if you do it again? It's only the two of us here."

Naruto looked at the pinkette with a sullen expression. "My mind wasn't in the right place," he explained, "I didn't mean for my anger to get the best of me."

"So what are you going to do then? Just ignore me...?" Sakura asked, not completely understanding what Naruto was saying to her.

"That seems like the best option to me right now." Naruto shrugged.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the blond. "You're not serious..."

"I am, for me-"

"For you? What about me?" Sakura snapped at the blonde-haired male. "This whole situation involves the both of us, not just one. We need to work this out and get past this-"

"Are you kidding me, Sakura?" Naruto said as he let out a bitter laugh. "Do you hear how selfish you sound? I'm the one that gets screwed over and all you could do is think about yourself, it's ridiculous."

What Naruto said wasn't entirely true, Sakura wasn't just thinking about herself, she was thinking about her daughter. Before she could tell Naruto he was the father she wanted them to be on good terms, and him planning to ignore her was not exactly what someone would call being on "good terms".

Sakura let out a frustrated grunt and buried her face into her hands. "Why can't things be simpler?" She mumbled, not intending for it to be heard by the blond.

Naruto glared at the woman, he couldn't believe how shallow and selfish she was being. "You don't get it, do you? You fail to realize how badly you messed up this time Sakura. Everyone else may welcome you back with open arms but not me, not after what happened-"

"I get it!" Sakura snapped angrily. "I messed up and I was selfish and it was wrong, I get it! Did you every think of why I never came back, Naruto? The guilt of what we did ate me up every single day, and I couldn't bring myself to come back to face everyone- especially not Hinata. I was terrified and I had no one to help me through it-"

"Don't say that."

"It's true!" Sakura said bitterly. "You were-"

"I was what? You don't even know what happened to me because you left before you could find out!" Naruto shouted angrily, frustrated at how ignorant the pinkette was being. "It was my wrongdoing as much as it was yours. The difference between us is that I was prepared to stick by your side and get through it with you, but you were a coward and took the easy way out. You left and you didn't give a _**damn** _about what happened to me." He spat viciously.

"That's not true-"

"Don't fucking lie, Sakura." Naruto snapped. "You never cared, and don't sit here and lie to my face by saying you do. When I said I would give up anyone for you, I meant it. The morning after what happened, I went straight to Hinata and told her everything. I told her what we did and how I was still in love with you, I confessed everything to her and broke it off right then and there. By then you were already on your way to Suna, too busy running away. I loved you and you didn't, it's as simple as that..."

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the blond in front of her, hearing all of what he was saying for the first time. Sakura could not find her voice and remained speechless, staring at Naruto dumbfounded.

"This is stupid." Naruto said, sounding more frustrated than angry.

Sakura watched as Naruto stormed past her towards the door. When he reached the door Sakura felt this pain in her chest and she was unsure of what it was. Sakura wanted to call out for Naruto and beg him to stay, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it...

Naruto paused at the door unsure of what he truly wanted to do at the moment. Sakura opened her mouth, on the verge of calling out to him, but she still could not find her voice. After what seemed like several moments Naruto opened the door and left, closing it behind him.

Once the door closed shut Sakura lowered herself down on the floor and rested her back against Tsunade's desk. A large wave of sadness rushed over the pinkette, and she soon found it hard to breath as she choked on the sobs that managed to escape her lips; tears began to roll down her face, unable to hold them back. What Naruto had said managed to tug a nerve- or a heart-string- in Sakura that brought back feelings she thought were long gone. Sakura knew what Naruto said was not true, she had loved the blond, knuckle-headed ninja; Natsumi happened because both of her parents loved each other, not just one.

Naruto rested on the other side of the door, leaning his back against the wood. He closed his eyes for a moment and stood there trying to gather his thoughts. He managed to allow himself to snap at Sakura again but he sounded more hurt than anything at the end of his rant. All Naruto really wanted was for Sakura to show that she felt _something_ towards him, he couldn't live on false hope any longer. He wanted her to call after him, to stop him from walking out the door like he had done with her countless of times before. Naruto couldn't keep chasing after Sakura the way he had when they were kids, he couldn't allow her to keep walking all over him.

Naruto stood up straight with the little pride he had left and proceeded to walk away from Tsunade's office. Even if he didn't completely agree with it, he knew this was the best decision for him. Besides, Sakura had built her own family without him; it was time for him to try move on with his life too.

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**A/N : Ah, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N : First, I cannot explain how overwhelmed I am by the positive response the story is getting, and I appreciate every kind word and praise you all have given me; I can honestly say that you guys are the GREATEST. I especially enjoy the longer reviews that thoroughly express their opinion and point out the flaws they notice, but I cannot thank you ALL enough.**

**Also, it has been brought to my attention that the timing of everything (with Sakura leaving and Natsumi's age) is a little off so I tweaked that a bit, and made her a little older because in my opinion she seems too mature for four- especially in this chapter. I apologize for taking so long but this chapter was changed several times before this final version came about.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed: Shadowwitch042190, 25BAM50, sparten07, duron300, happy everyday life, XxAshishxX, never (guest), multipass22, Grand (guest), warrof, , daneththereed, ZeroTails317, Toreh, Suave Jiraiya, FOXJ NS 4EVER, kidloco (guest), Beowulf, Animaman, Sexy Kurenai, Harry Foureyes, Sanbi (guest), Skyler (guest), narusaku189, Sage357 (guest), and the other guest who reviewed!**

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_Chapter 6_

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By the time Tsunade and Natsumi had returned Sakura managed to pull herself together and present herself in a normal fashion as if nothing bad had happened. Tsunade studied the pinkette intently, trying to figure out what happened between the two parents, but before Tsunade could ask Sakura any questions she was out the door with Natsumi in hand shouting out a quick goodbye as she left.

The two walked through Konoha, talking normally as if nothing wrong had happened to their day out. Sakura was glad that Natsumi had a short attention span; the girl talked to her mother about various topics, forgetting about the day's events as if they never happened. The pink-haired kunoichi allowed herself to participate in her daughter's conversation of scattered topics, almost forgetting about the day herself.

When they reached their hotel room the sun was beginning to set behind them. Sakura opened the door and was glad to see the three sand siblings lounging about in her room; the two brothers were sitting at the small table in the far corner of the room while Temari was seated on the bed. Natsumi must have felt the same way as her mother because a smile crept onto her face and she screamed Gaara's name, gathering everyone's attention. She ran towards the man and jumped into his lap as if she had not seen him in months.

Gaara smiled and hugged the small girl tightly, giving her a warm embrace. He was glad to see her back to her normal self without a problem.

Natsumi grinned madly at the Kazekage as he unconsciously began to play with her orange locks with his free hand. "Me and mommy just came from Baa-chan's," she informed the man, "and mommy had her talk with that mean man."

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the girl, and looked up at Sakura who was directing her eyes anywhere but on him. "And do you know what happened, Sumi?"

"I don't know." Natsumi answered with a shrug. "I went out for ice cream with Baa-chan while they had their special talk."

The other two sand siblings listened in on what the child was saying, both interested to learn some new information. Gaara had told Temari and Kankuro what happened with his blond friend and their pinkette, and they were both equally surprised to hear the story.

"Anything else, Sumi?" Gaara asked the child.

"Nope, that was it!" Natsumi said cheerfully as she jumped off his lap, and moved on to the next sibling. "Temari!"

Temari smiled and held out her arms towards the girl. "Hi Sumi-chan," she said softly, "it seems like you had an exciting day."

Natsumi grinned and sat in Temari's lap also, laying back into her chest. "I'm tired," she said quietly as she rubbed her eyes.

"I can see." Temari laughed.

"Oh no, Sumi." Kankuro said as he snatched the girl off of his sister's lap. "You didn't even say hello to me!" He whined.

Natsumi smiled weakly at the man. "I'm sorry, Kankuro."

Kankuro held the small child in his arms as if she was a newborn. Even though Natsumi was five, almost six, she was as light as feather, so carrying her was not a burden to Kankuro. He rocked Natsumi back and forth a few times and in less than five minutes a soft snore could be heard from the small girl. Kankuro chuckled lightly, "She wasn't kidding, huh?"

"She had a long day," Sakura answered. She smiled slightly and took a seat on the bed next to Temari.

"It sounds like you've had a long day too." Temari smirked.

Sakura sighed and plopped into the bed, she was beyond exhausted. "You have no idea," she said as she rubbed her temples.

Kankuro had a small smirk on his face as he looked at the pinkette. "Now, who is this _mean man_ Sumi is talking about."

"...Naruto..."

Temari and Kankuro shared a look, but remained quiet and waited for the pinkette to continue to explain herself. Sakura sat up once again and glanced at Gaara nervously, who gave her a reassuring nod in return.

Sakura knew that she had to tell Kankuro and Temari the truth about Natsumi's father. Despite how close they all were, Sakura had never told the two the reason why she left Konoha or who was Natsumi's father. The siblings tried to bring up the topic once, but the pinkette refused to talk about it and they never asked about it again.

"There's something that I have been keeping from you..." Sakura said slowly as she looked between the two. "...Naruto is Natsumi's father."

Kankuro looked at Temari with an amused smirk on his face, and Temari rolled her eyes at the male. "We kind of already knew that, Saks," Kankuro said.

Even though they should have been upset at the pinkette for keeping such a big secret from them for over six years, the siblings couldn't find it in them to be mad at the woman. After figuring everything out for themselves they understood why Sakura never wanted to discuss the topic, and they felt a great deal of pity for their friend and the situation she was in.

Sakura stared at him with a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, yesterday we talked to Naruto and he didn't seem too excited to hear you were back. So miss nosy over there," Kankuro said, nodding towards Temari, "felt the need to snoop around and find out what happened, and we kind of pieced everything together ourselves."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't mean to be nosy but I knew something happened between you two-"

"Temari, it's okay," Sakura said as she let out a relieved laugh. "I'm just glad you two aren't angry with me."

Temari shook her head. "No, we understand why you didn't want to talk about, and we would not force you into telling us something like that especially if you weren't ready."

"But, I am upset at the fact you told Gaara but not us." Kankuro joked causing his brother to chuckle. "It's alright though, I guess being Kazekage gives you certain privileges."

Sakura laughed at Kankuro, and smiled at the two siblings. She couldn't express how grateful how she was for them- all three of them. "Thank you, guys."

"It's nothing, Sakura. I just can't believe we couldn't figure this out earlier, Natsumi looks so much like Naruto." Temari said, looking at the sleeping child in Kankuro's arms.

"You think so?"

Kankuro looked at Natsumi's sleeping face and nodded. "I see you but I also see a lot of him in her too."

The pinkette studied her daughter's face, stroking her orange locks. They were right, she could see some of Naruto's features in Natsumi, and her hair was definitely a mix between the both parents. "But he hates me now, so I don't know what I'm going to do," Sakura said as she looked up with sad eyes.

"I don't think hate is the right word to use," Temari said, "I think he's just hurt."

"Gaara told you what happened?"

Temari nodded. "Sakura, he does have a right to react the way he did after everything you two have been through."

"And you haven't even told him that he's the father yet." Kankuro said loudly. "He's going to _flip _ when he finds out..."

Sakura sighed. She was becoming more discouraged about telling Naruto as the day rolled by, and she started to doubt if it was the right thing to do. Temari saw the pinkette's expression and gave her idiotic brother a glare for being so insensitive about the woman's situation.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'm sure everything will work out just fine." Temari said, offering words of optimism unlike her sibling. "You have to understand that he might not be so welcoming towards you, especially after you tell him he's the father. You've kept Natsumi from him for a long time.."

"...I just hopes it all works out for Natsumi's sake." Sakura said.

"It will." Gaara said sternly, leaving no room for any further arguments or doubt. "I have no doubts that everything will resolve its self by the end of our trip."

Even though Gaara might have believed it was true, uncertainty still lingered in the back of Sakura's mind. They had only two weeks in Konoha before they were scheduled to return back to Suna. They could not push the date back any further because they all had duties to attend to that they could not ignore.

Two weeks did not seem like a lot of time for the task Sakura was facing. She knew that to fix the problem required time, of which she did not have a lot of. She would have to try her hardest to regain some sort of forgiveness and friendship from the angry blond so she could then tell him the truth about Natsumi. Sakura understood how difficult it was going to be to gain forgiveness from Naruto but she was determined on making it happen for the sake of her child.

Gaara stood up and looked at his siblings. "I think we should let Sakura get her rest now," he said.

Temari and Kankuro did not disagree and got up without compliant. Kankuro carefully laid Natsumi on the bed and tucked her in under the covers. Temari and Kankuro bid the pinkette a farewell and exited out the hotel room, closing the door behind them.

Gaara stood across from Sakura and took a deep breath in. "I'm sorry for what happened toady, I didn't mean for Naruto to see Sumi-"

The pinkette suddenly embraced the Kazekage in a tight hug, causing him to have a slight moment of shock. Once he overcame the surprise gesture, he wrapped his arms around the woman and sighed.

"I know you didn't intentionally introduce Sumi to Naruto; I'm not mad, Gaara," she said.

Sakura closed her eyes and rested her head on Gaara's chest, still hugging the man. Gaara laid his head on top of Sakura's and just held the woman, not saying anything that would disturb the moment.

Surprisingly, Gaara was not uncomfortable at the interaction going on between the two. After years of dealing with the pinkette and her child he had gotten used to the random hugs and the cries for a warm embrace.

Sakura inhaled sharply, feeling a wave of sadness overwhelm her once more. "I don't want him to hate me," she admitted softly.

"I don't think he hates you." Gaara said as he hugged the woman tighter. "He's just confused of his own feelings; he's unsure of how to react to your presence."

Sakura blinked back the tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to do, Gaara. I know I have to tell him but it feels like an impossible task."

"It's not Sakura," Gaara said as he released the woman, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Things will work out, do not worry."

Sakura nodded and kept her head up, if she couldn't do this for herself she had to do it for her daughter; Natsumi deserved to have her father in her life.

"Go take a shower, I'll change Sumi into her pajamas and put her to bed." Gaara said to the pinkette. He knew she needed to relax for the night and a nice, hot shower would calm her nerves.

"She needs to take a shower too." Sakura argued as she moved towards the sleeping child.

Gaara put his arm in front of the woman, stopping her from moving closer to the girl. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. All I need is her pajamas, and she can sleep in my room for the night."

Sakura sighed and nodded reluctantly, moving to get Natsumi's pajama's out of one of the dressers in the room. She retrieved a small, silky nightgown and a pair of underwear with orange flowers on them and handed the clothing to Gaara.

The Kazekage took the clothing, "I think you should have the day to yourself tomorrow, I'll watch Natsumi while you're gone," he said.

The pink-haired female gave the man a look filled with uncertainty.

"I promise that nothing will happen again," Gaara said before she could open her mouth to protest, "she is safe with me."

Sakura looked up at Gaara for several moments before turning to retrieve an outfit for tomorrow for her daughter. She knew it would be futile to argue with the man because he would eventually convince her to allow Natsumi to spend the day with him. Sakura did not want her daughter out of her sight, but she knew Gaara was not going to take no for an answer, and the pinkette trusted the man enough to know that he was not going to allow anything bad to happen to Natsumi.

She placed the colorful outfit and matching shoes in his hand. "I want her back at five, is that clear?"

Gaara nodded at the pinkette with a small grin on his face. He moved around the woman and picked up Natsumi, carrying the clothes in his hands still. The child stirred slightly but remained asleep in the Kazekage's arms

"We will see you tomorrow." Gaara said as he exited out of the hotel room shutting the door behind him, leaving Sakura to have a lot of free time to herself.

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"So, she has a kid?"

Naruto sat back into the cushion of the couch with a sigh. He nodded in response to the question asked by the black-haired man sitting across from him, his so-called "best friend".

The Uchiha studied the blond intensely seeing the hurt in his eyes. "You still love her, don't you?" Sasuke asked, already knowing what the answer was.

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know," he lied, "I thought I was over her, that I could just hate her and move on with my life but..."

"You can't." Sasuke finished for the blond. "You saw her, and that was all it took for everything to come rushing back."

"Exactly." Naruto mumbled as he buried his face in his hands.

Sasuke shook his head and poured himself a drink from the bottle that was sitting on the small living room table in front of them. He poured his friend a drink also, knowing that Naruto needed it more the he did. "Here." Sasuke said as he handed the blond the glass.

Naruto accepted the drink and took a long sip before setting it down on the table. "I'm so angry at her." Naruto admitted to his best friend. "... this whole thing is just frustrating."

"I think you should give it time. The situation is not going to fix itself over night." Sasuke said, taking another sip. "You guys have serious problems to deal with, but you need to understand that she's not going to beg you to forgive her, and she's definitely not going to be begging you to stay and talk to her- she has too much pride for that."

"And what about all the times I pushed my pride aside for her, does that even count?" Naruto said angrily. He was annoyed, not because of what the Uchiha had said but because he knew what Sasuke said was true, Sakura's pride came before anyone else. "Why can't she push her pride to the side for once?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "You know that's how she is, and I doubt she's changed much. Sakura doesn't like to be seen as weak, and now that she has a child I expect that she feels that she must be strong at all times for the sake of the girl. Any action that may seem weak to Sakura is out of the question, things such as begging for you to stay- or even expressing how she feels- is not going to happen even if she wants to deep down inside."

Naruto shook his head but remained silent. Sasuke was spot on about Sakura, they both knew she didn't like to been seen, or thought, as weak and her pride kept her from doing things that was classified as that. That was one of the things he hated most about the pinkette.

"But maybe I'm wrong, dobe," Sasuke said as he folded his hands behind his head, "maybe having this child changed Sakura for the better instead."

"I doubt it." Naruto said as he chugged the rest of his drink without any hesitation, the liquid burning as it traveled down his throat. "She still seemed like the same old, prideful Sakura_-chan_."

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After Gaara had managed to wake up Natsumi and successfully take her a bath, she received her second wind of energy and demanded to spend some quality with the man. She sat upright on Gaara's hotel bed in her light pink nightgown and stared at the man with her large emerald eyes.

"Ra," she called.

Gaara looked up at the small girl from the chair he was in. "Yes, Sumi?"

"I'm hungry."

"And what would you like to eat?" Gaara asked the small girl.

A mischievous smile crept to Natsumi's face. "I want ramen!" She yelled.

The Kazekage glanced at the clock on the wall and laughed, "It is eight o'clock at night, Sumi."

"So?" The girl said as she hopped off the bed and grabbed the man's hand, holding it in her smaller ones. "Please, Ra."

Gaara looked at the girl who was standing in front of him with pleading eyes. She poked out her lip slightly and successfully gave him her famous puppy-dog face.

The man chuckled and shook his head, "Go put on our boots. You cannot tell your mother we are doing this." Gaara said; he knew there was no sense in trying to argue with the girl.

Natsumi squealed with delight and ran to put her boots on. Once she was ready, Gaara led the girl out of the hotel and onto the streets of Konoha without being noticed by Sakura or the other two sand siblings. The summer night was warm so being in a nightgown did not affect the small, orange-haired girl. They prowled about through the streets of Konoha but stopped when they came across Ichiraku with a large, illuminated "open" sign.

Gaara led the girl into the ramen shop and they sat on two stools at the far end of the counter. The woman, Ayame, came from the kitchen and greeted the duo with a large smile. "Kazekage-sama," she said with a respective bow towards the man, "how can I help you two?"

"We'll take two bowls of miso ramen, please." Gaara said politely, giving the woman a small smile.

Ayama nodded in response and disappeared back into the kitchen. Natsumi looked up at Gaara with an expression that she always made when she was about to ask a question. She opened her mouth but hesitated, the question she was about to ask lingered on her tongue. She furrowed her eyebrows, closed her mouth, and turned away from the man, but it was clear to Gaara that she wanted to ask something serious.

"That's a first." Gaara said, an eyebrow raised at Natsumi. "You usually speak whatever comes to your mind."

Natsumi turned back towards the Kazekage. "Are you my daddy, Ra?"

An amused smirk tugged at Gaara's lips as he shook his head. The question didn't surprise the man, he knew it was bound to come the moment he opened his mouth in the flower shop and said that she was his little girl. "That's not my role in your life, Sumi," he said as he ruffled the girl's orange locks affectionately.

"Then what are you?" Natsumi asked.

"I guess you can consider me more as a god-father," he explained to the girl, "I'm not your biological father- if that's what you're wondering."

"Then who is?" She blurted out suddenly. Her curiosity of her father had surfaced recently over the past few months; she couldn't help but wonder where her father was when she saw other kids her age laughing and smiling with both of their parents. Natsumi was confused as to why _she_ didn't have a father like the rest of the children she saw.

Gaara looked at Natsumi with a pitied look, he felt terrible for the child. It was not fair to Natsumi to be stuck in the middle between her parents problems, and it wasn't fair that she was left in the dark about her father either. Gaara wanted to give the girl the answer to her question but he knew it was not his place to do so. "I don't know, Sumi..." Gaara lied.

Natsumi looked down and remained quiet, her hair covered her eyes which began to water. She was frustrated because she didn't know much at the situation at hand; even at the young age of five, Natsumi felt the need to know everything that was going on around her, and being in the dark about who her father was bothered her.

Gaara felt his heart begin to ache as he watched Natsumi sit there quietly. The Kazekage reached out and grabbed the small girl out of her seat, placing her on his lap. Gaara hugged Natsumi tightly, and he rubbed her back affectionately. "Sumi, I know I'm not your real father but I promise I will be the closest thing to it. I will always watch over and protect you no matter what the circumstances are... you mean so much to me, Hime. I consider both you and your mother a part of my family now, and I would do anything for you two- especially you, Sumi. "

The small girl was still for several moments, absorbing everything that the Kazekage had said, but she finally moved to look up at the man. "Do you love me, Ra?" Natsumi asked, her large emerald eyes staring up at Gaara's pale ones.

The question caught the Kazekage of guard for a brief second, but he regained his composure and answered Natsumi truthfully. "I do," he said, "without a doubt, Sumi."

Natsumi smiled brightly, quickly overcoming the sadness she felt seconds ago. She opened her mouth to speak but at that very moment Ayame emerged from the kitchen with two steaming bowls for the duo. The two were silent as she placed the food in front of them, she gave them a genuine smile before exiting back into the kitchen.

Gaara and Natsumi looked at each other for several seconds then, as if on cue, both dived into their ramen simultaneously. They ate in a peaceful silence, and Natsumi remained stationed in Gaara's lap; her mind was at ease knowing that she always had Gaara there for her. Natsumi wouldn't mind having her real father in her life, but she was positive that she would chose to have the Kazekage over the man anyday.

"Ra?" Natsumi said, gathering the man's attention. Gaara looked at the girl and she cupped his face with her small hands, giving him a warm smile. She paused for a moment before she opening her mouth to speak the words she was going to say moments ago. "I love you too."

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Naruto stumbled through the deserted streets regretting every single decision he had made throughout the day... his biggest regret was insisting on going home after drinking an entire bottle by himself at the Uchiha compound.

When leaving his best friend's home he swore that he was fine and able to function normally, but as soon as he set foot off of the property he realized that he wasn't exactly in the best shape to be walking home. His head was spinning and it was almost impossible for him to walk in a straight line. To be completely honest, his sense of direction had disappeared also and he was aimlessly wandering around the streets.

"I blame this all on Sasuke," Naruto said, speaking to no one in particular, "he should have known I was not okay."

Naruto stumbled on through the poorly lit streets by himself. His head was pounding and his vision was blurry, but he kept pushing himself to move forward. "I need to get my shit together," he mumbled to himself.

After a few minutes the blond male finally decided to stop trying to walk and sat down in front of a large building, resting his back against the wood. He clutched his head and closed his eyes, trying to regain his thoughts and focus. The more he tried to concentrate the more a certain pink-haired female managed to slip into his mind, something that happened unwillingly.

_**You love her, kid. **_Kurama's voice echoed in his mind as flashes of pink appeared in his mind. **You cannot deny it, you will always love the girl.**

"No, I hate her." Naruto said in a harsh tone. "I don't love her, she's wrong and I can't forgive her."

_**I can sense how you feel about the girl, do not lie to yourself.**_

"... No... I-I... No, I don't- I refuse to love her anymore..." Naruto said hesitantly, unsure if he was really telling the truth. He was so confused, and Kurama was not helping him at all. "I can't forgive her, I refuse to; she only cares about herself. I gave up so much for her, and practically got nothing in return!"

_**You're speaking in anger**_, Kurama said, **_say how you really feeling about her. No one is here but us, kid._**

Naruto was quiet as the pounding in his head began to increase and his mind became more scattered than it was before. He tried to calm his self down but the pain became excruciating and he howled in pain. "I don't know!" He screamed aloud, "I hate her but I love her, I just don't know-"

"Naruto? What are you doing out here?"

The blond male opened his eyes, surprised to hear another voice, but he could not focus enough to figure out who the person in front of him was. His vision was blurred but he could tell it was a woman by the sound of her voice, she sounded familiar but he was not in the right frame of mind to match the voice to someone that he knew. The woman helped him on his feet and steadied him by wrapping his arm around her shoulder, and she began to lead him inside the building he was just leaning on.

"I may regret this in the morning but I can't leave you out here..." the woman said softly, a certain tenderness to her voice.

Naruto looked at the woman next to him but could not focus on her features. He felt warm next to her, and he wasn't sure if that was because of the alcohol in his system or her presence alone. He gave up on trying to figure out who the mysterious woman and he closed his eyes to try to ease the pounding in his head, but all the man saw behind his closed eyelids was pink.

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**A/N : I hope it wasn't too terrible! Like I said before, this chapter went through a number of changes but I hope you enjoyed it still. Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N : This is going to be short and painless; I just want to thank you all for the continuous support and love for this Fanfic. I cannot thank you guys enough for that, and I hope you stick with me because I do have BIG things planned for our favorite couple. Also, I would just like to thank my friend Tati for helping me with this chapter.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed: NeoJubiSannin1870, Harry Foureyes, narusaku189, Animaman, Skyler (guest), XxAshIshxX, Zerotails317, 25BAM50, Toreh, La Belle Coeur, warrof, Sexy Kurenai, FOXJ NS 4EVER, goddessofanime2003, ineversleep123, duron300, Suave Jiraiya, Cora Blue (guest), shadowmaster (guest), Beowulf (guest), BigBro25, NarutoFan (guest), and all the guest reviewers. **

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_Chapter 7_

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On a normal day Sakura could pick Naruto out of a large crowd with little to no trouble, even without seeing him for such a long time. So when Sakura looked outside of her hotel room window she knew, without a doubt in her mind, that it was him sitting outside of her room blatantly drunk, talking to himself. Before she had a chance to fully think through the situation, she was already outside and helping the blond into the building.

She supported Naruto's limp body as he stared at the side of her face with his large blue eyes. Sakura was too concentrated on bringing the man inside to acknowledge his drunk actions. She finally managed to reach her room and opened the door with little difficulty, she brought Naruto inside and closed the door with her foot. The pinkette dropped the man on the bed, causing him to release a low groan.

"I feel like I'm about to hurl." Naruto mumbled, his eyes still closed shut.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she ran to retrieve the garbage pale in the small bathroom. She handed the blond the bucket just as he began to throw up the contents in his stomach, barely making it inside the pale. Sakura sat next to the blond on the bed and rubbed his back gently. He clutched onto the bucket tightly and continued to vomit. Sakura remained silent, comforting the sick blond. All she could think about was how badly Naruto needed someone, and she felt willing to help him get better. Sakura didn't even think about the fact Naruto hated her or that they weren't on good terms, all she thought about was how Naruto needed someone by his side right now.

Naruto finally stopped and when he felt safe he put the pale down on the floor. He buried his face in his hands and remained quiet as he tried to gather his thoughts. The world was spinning around him and he still couldn't make out the woman's face next to him.

Sakura got up, leaving his side for a moment, and returned with a damp rag in her hand. "Lay down on your left side," she ordered.

The blond obliged the woman, laying back into the soft mattress and turning on his side. Sakura moved closer to him and gently put the rag on his forehead. The blond gave a small smile at the initial sensation of the warm rag touching his skin, it eased some of the pounding in his head.

"Thank you," he mumbled in a sleepy voice. Naruto closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep, not knowing the identity of the woman taking care of him.

Sakura gave the blond a sad smile, looking over his features as he slept. Even after vomiting, Sakura still thought Naruto was handsome-almost beautiful-in her eyes. Now that she had a chance to finally look over him, without them being in a tense situation, she realized how much he had grown. He looked more mature then she remembered, and she thought the small stubble he had grown was extremely attractive.

Despite the all physical changes he went through his whisker marks were still present on both cheeks, which was a feature that she always adored. She softly traced the marks with her fingers, and took a deep breath.

"You need to know," she said with a sigh, "everyone is right. It's selfish of me to keep her from you... especially after everything you've been through. I'm just so scared."

Sakura stared at the blond, "I know you're going to hate me, there's no doubt about it, and you have every right to."

Naruto stirred slightly but did not wake up. Sakura felt her eyes begin to water and quickly wiped them away with her sleeve. "I'm a terrible mother, I'm a terrible friend, and I'm sorry Naruto... I'm so sorry for everything I did."

"I don't want you to hate me," Sakura said as a soft sob escaped her lips and the tears began to stream down her face, "I-I still love you... I always have. I'm just too much of a coward to face you. Even now, you're passed out and I'm sitting here pouring my heart out to you because I can't do it when you're conscious. I'm disgusting, and I've destroyed any possibility of us even being togethe-"

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto mumbled softly, causing Sakura to gape at the blond. He was clearly sleeping, but it was strange to her that he would call her name in his sleep. "Sakura-chan, stay please..."

Sakura eyes widened even more as Naruto continued to call her name in his sleep. The tenderness in his voice caught her off guard, and it caused more water to fall from her eyes. She hadn't heard him add the "chan" to her name ever since she left Konoha, and hearing the suffix brought a wave of different emotions to come over her. Out of everything she felt, she felt unworthy the most. She didn't deserve for Naruto to call her name in such a soft, loving manner. Despite the fact he was talking in his sleep after passing out from being too drunk, she still didn't deserve to even take up a single thought in his mind, and she knew it.

That was the worse part for the pinkette; to know that she didn't even deserve to occupy any part of the blond's thoughts; and she definitely knew that she did not deserve to call Naruto hers. She felt the tears stream down her face even more, and she could not put a stop to them no matter how hard she tried.

Eventually Sakura's tears eased down to nothing, and she felt beyond exhausted. She collapsed back into the bed next to blond and stared at his face. She gently placed her hand on his check, and she let out a soft sigh.

"I'll fix this," Sakura mumbled as she closed her eyes, allowing sleep to wash over her,"I promise..."

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Sakura awoke with a jolt as a loud knock was heard at her door. It took her a moment to realize her surroundings, and she was surprised to find Naruto's arms wrapped around her waist. Suddenly her cheeks began to feel warm and all she wanted to do was snuggle closer to his chest.

The knock happened again but a little louder than before, and Sakura snapped out of the moment. She knew that what was going on wasn't real, Naruto wasn't cuddling her consciously and he would most likely wake up angry if he found her next to him.

Sakura sighed sadly at the realization and slowly began to remove herself from the bed without waking up the blond. She managed to escape his grasp without disturbing him and made her way to the door still in her pajamas.

She opened the door slowly and was surprised to find Sasuke, her old teammate, on the side. He gave her a small grin and embraced her in an unsuspecting hug. Sakura jumped at the initial contact, and she couldn't get out a word due to the state of shock she was in.

Sasuke let the pinkette go and stared at her for several moments before opening his mouth. "I heard you were back and I wanted to stop by to talk to you about some things."

"Oh, um... yeah... that's no problem," she said hesitantly, not moving from the spot she was.

Sasuke directed an annoyed look towards her, "Are you going to let me in?"

Sakura gave a quick glance at Naruto's sleeping figure, and she moved to block Sasuke's view of his best friend. "Well right now isn't the best time, do you-"

"Sakura, if you're trying to hide something you don't have to, " Sasuke interrupted, "I know you have a child."

Sakura stared at Sasuke with a bewildered look, not completely registering what he was saying. "I-I.. it's not that..."

"Then what's the problem?" Sasuke asked, the annoyance in his voice was clearly evident.

Sakura hesitated for a moment and Sasuke took that as an opportunity to enter the room. He pushed pass the pinkette and spotted the blond immediately. He froze in his tracks, staring at his blond best friend who was drooling on the large bed in the room.

"Sasuke, I can explain-"

"Don't." Sasuke said sternly, putting his hand out to stop the woman. "I need to get him home, if he wakes up here he'll freak out."

Sakura stared at the back of Sasuke's head, not daring to move from her spot. She practically felt Sasuke's dark aura and did not plan too upset him any further.

Sasuke moved towards the blond and lifted him out of the bed, wrapping Naruto's arm around his shoulder. "I can't believe you would think this is okay, especially after what happened yesterday. Do you not understand how unstable he is around you? You never think of what's best for him, you only think of yourself, Sakura." He snapped angrily.

"Sasuke it's really not what you think," Sakura said softly, trying to defend herself. "I found him outside completely wasted, so what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave him there!"

Sasuke glared at Sakura angrily as he trudged past her with the said male. "You could have taken him home, Sakura. You shouldn't have took him in, how stupid can you be?"

Sakura stared at Sasuke with a shocked expression plastered on her face, she found it ridiculous that she was being reprimanded for doing a good deed. "How am I stupid for that? He was outside of my window drunk out of his mind, he needed someone!" She snapped. Sakura felt her blood beginning to boil, and she was moments away from completely losing her temper.

"And what were you going to do when he woke up this morning?" Sasuke retaliated as he spun around to stare the pinkette in the eye. "It's not healthy for him to have you around all the time, and you don't get that! You keep forcing yourself on him, hoping to patch things up quickly, but it doesn't work like that! If you can't even respect the man enough to give him his time alone, what makes you think he's going to forgive so easily. You're fucking stupid, Sakura."

"Are you kidding me!?" Sakura yelled angrily. "I did a good thing for him, and it's wrong. I helped him, Sasuke, and it wasn't for my own selfish reasons. I did it because he needed someone. It's not like I asked him to get drunk! Let alone come here while he's drunk! You say it's not healthy for him to always be around me, and I can understand that, but its not healthy for him to drink himself away in the middle of the night alone like that either, Sasuke! What did you expect?! Was I suppose to just leave him in the cold?!" She finished angrily, trying to catch her breath.

Sasuke continued his glare, taking a step closer.

"He would've been better off waking up laying against a building in his own vomit than laying in bed with you."

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Tsunade stared at the man standing in front of her desk with a bit of annoyance. He stood reading the same infamous book he carried around with him all the time, not regarding the woman in front of him. She cleared her throat, gathering his attention, and he slowly put the book away with a disappointed sigh.

"You know it's sad Kakashi," Tsunade scolded as she folded her arms across her chest, "you're the one that wanted to talk to me about something, and you're sitting here reading that _book_ instead."

Kakashi's masked wrinkled in the edges, caused by an amused smile on his face, and he chuckled lightly. "My apologies Tsunade-sama, but I did come here to discuss some... _important_ issues."

The blond woman relaxed back in her chair and smiled slightly, "What is it, Kakashi?"

"I saw Sakura the other day, and I didn't know she was back in town..."

"She's here for a few weeks, she returned the other day." Tsunade said, "What seems to be the problem?"

Kakashi sighed and began to walk towards the windows in the room. "And she has a child with her..."

"Yes, that's her daughter, but I don't exactly see what the issue is here."

"When is someone going to tell Naruto? Or will I have to do it myself?" Kakashi asked calmly. He rested his hand on the window pane and shook his head, "I didn't think you would keep this from him Tsunade-sama, knowing that all he ever wanted was to have his own family."

Tsunade kept a straight face, staring at the back of Kakashi's head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kakashi." She lied. "What makes you believe that Sakura's daughter is Naruto's."

"How foolish do you think I am? How can someone not notice this? The child even looks like her father!" He exclaimed, growing more frustrated by the second, as he turned to faced her.

"I will ask again... when is someone going to tell him? I'm not one to meddle in other's lives, but Naruto is the exception, especially when it comes to something as important as his own child. What on Earth would make you believe that allowing Sakura to run away was okay? Surely you should have known that at some point she had to face the fire, Tsunade-sama." He stated harshly.

Now glaring at the silver-haired man across from her, Tsunade tried to keep her temper under control as she responded. "Again, I don't know what you're talking about. She requested for a long term mission and I granted her one. Suna, our allies, needed help in improving their hospitals and in training medical-nin; Sakura was perfect for the job."

Kakashi's blood was beginning to boil at the excuses being thrown at him, and he clenched his teeth tightly together. "I mean this with no disrespect, Tsunade-sama, but do not insult my intelligence. I'm well aware that this _long term mission_ was just an excuse for Sakura to run away. The whole situation is quiet obvious if you think about; Hinata and Naruto break off their engagement due to _complications_, Sakura leaves that same day for unknown reasons, and then she returns six years later with a five year old daughter that looks a lot like Naruto. If I'm wrong for thinking this child is Naruto's please tell me so." He finished, holding his hands up as if he was guilty.

"But if no one is going to tell him the truth," he said, "then I will be the bearer of bad news and confront him about this. It's wrong to keep the child from her father."

Kakashi turned to leave, but Tsunade quickly put out her arm to stop him. "Confront him... are you serious, Kakashi? You tell me not to insult your intelligence, and yet, here you are taking it upon yourself to make a decision like this! Do you understand the severity of this information? You can't just address this so carelessly!" Tsunade exclaimed angrily.

"You're not telling the boy that his pet fish died, Kakashi. You're telling him that this young girl he just met just so happens to be his child... with _Sakura_, of all people. You're going to tell him that his child, despite knowing damn well he was the father, was still kept from him for almost six years now! This will not only destroy his and Sakura's relationship, but many others also." Tsunade informed him, trying to calm herself down.

"So you suppose we just sit around do _nothing_!?" He exclaimed, slightly loosing his temper. "Then why don't you break it to him."

"I will not," she seethed, "It's not my place to address a topic like this with him, nor is it yours. It's only up to Sakura to settle this dispute between the two."

"And if she doesn't?" He asked as he took a step closer, still maintaining a respectable distance.

"We will deal with it later if that is the case." Tsunade said simply. "Right now, she is planning to tell Naruto herself in the next few days. So for right now, this is none of our concern. We must allow her-"

Kakashi immediately widened his eyes as another surge of anger ripped through him, his body stiffened and his jaw clenched noticeably beneath his mask. His voice was now dangerously low as he interrupted the blonde. "None of our concern? Tsunade-sama, we watched that young boy grow into the man he is today. How can you not show even the slightest bit of sympathy?! We watched and allowed him find a family within us, and now you mean to tell me that you're going to continue to keep him away from a family of his very own?"

"You said it yourself, Kakashi, he is a grown man; and Sakura is a grown woman. Therefore, we must allow her to make her own decisions. She got herself in this situation, and she will do what she has to do without any of our interference." She said, her voice quivering with anger as her hands clenched onto the desk beneath her.

"Do you not understand that this child was conceived by the both of them. _Therefore_, both parents should be aware of her very existence."

"Do you truly believe that Sakura will never address the topic, Kakashi?" She asked, her eyes shut as she raised the other hand to her head, rubbing small circles on her temple with her two fingers in an attempt to soothe a building migraine.

After standing in silence for a moment, she continued, now locking eyes with the man in front of her. "These two.. they're not genin anymore Kakashi. Natsumi is their child. They have to handle this situation themselves. I cannot interfere in such a personal matter, and neither can you."

"Their child. You said it yourself. _Theirs_. Not _hers_. I cannot stand here and watch my student lose more precious time; he's already lost six years of his daughter's own life! Naruto grew up with no parents. The last thing he wants to do is inflict that pain on his own."

"Kakashi! Do you not think I'm well aware of that?! But telling that boy would do no good if Sakura isn't ready yet!" She exclaimed, without realizing the full extent of her words.

"This isn't about Sakura! It's about their daughter! It's about their five year old little girl who doesn't have a father because of her selfish mother! Why is this a difficult concept to grasp, dammit?!" He paused, slowly taking in a breath before exhaling. "Tsunade-sama, I apologize for my outburst but just know that you were well aware of the child being kept from Naruto. Therefore, you are just as responsible for the separation of this family as Sakura herself."

He turned his back to her and strode towards the exit, but then paused for a moment. "I would think that _you_ of all people would know what it must feel like to lose precious time with a loved one." And with that, Kakashi exited the office slamming the door on his way out.

Tsunade cursed under her breath as a lump formed in her throat. She felt a sharp pain in her chest caused by Kakashi's words, and she finally understood what the man was trying to point out. Tsunade wanted to help Sakura in the matter at hand but she knew she could not any longer; Naruto missed too many years already and could not afford to lose anymore time.

She cared for the two deeply but she had always knew in the back of her mind that what Sakura was doing- and had did -was wrong. Tsunade wanted the pinkette to be responsible and correct her wrong doing, and in that she had momentarily forgot about the blonde male and his injustice.

Tsunade bowed her head and clenched her eyes shut, tightening the grip on the desk beneath her until she felt that shattering of wood beneath her hand. "Sakura has exactly two _fucking_ days before I tell Naruto myself..."

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Sasuke trudged through the streets with a half asleep Naruto, ignoring the stares from the villagers. The black-haired male had the blond's arm slung over his shoulder and he had his arm around Naruto's waist in order to keep him upright. Sasuke supported most of Naruto's weight but the blond was slowly coming to his senses.

The sun was already out, shining brightly on the town, and the stores were gradually beginning to open their doors. Overall, it looked like it was a beautiful day outside but Sasuke's sour expression made everyone think otherwise.

Sasuke, truthfully, was not bothered by the amount of time it took to get Naruto to his apartment, all he really wanted to get was some distance between the pinkette and the blond. He was disgusted by Sakura, it bothered him how she thought it was just okay to do whatever she pleased- especially when dealing with matters concerning Naruto.

Sasuke remembered distinctly that Naruto had said to him that he told the pink-haired woman that the two should keep their distance from each other, but yet she had disobeyed his request; the pinkette had little to no respect for the blond and his wishes.

Naruto was truly unstable around the woman, and Sasuke saw how much pain she caused him by just looking at his best friend's face when he talked about her.

Sasuke did believe that one day the two would eventually fix their issues, but today was definitely _not_ the day. He knew that their situation required time for it to fix itself; Naruto was currently in no state to discuss their problems and Sakura, from what he understood, was still playing the victim.

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto croaked weakly as he squinted his eyes at the man basically carrying him. "What happened?"

Sasuke glanced at the blond's painful expression and raised his eyebrow, "You don't remember anything from last night?"

Naruto shook his head. "All I remember is leaving your compound," he said, "after that it's all a blank." Naruto began to carry his own weight but Sasuke kept his position around him, making sure the man would not fall.

"You were passed out on the side of some building when I found you this morning. You barely even made it down the street." Sasuke chuckled lightly, turning his head back in the direction in front of him. But in the back of his mind there was a nagging voice telling him to tell Naruto the truth.

The blond chuckled slightly, but he had a gut feeling there was more to the story than that. "Sounds like me." Naruto said as he cleared his throat. "I had the strangest dream though."

"What was it?"

"I was sitting against a building and a woman came to me, brought me inside the building, and took care of me; I could not figure out who she was or even make out her face clearly. It was weird."

Sasuke's jaw tensed for a moment but he quickly recovered his composure within a second. "... We'll talk later about that..." he said quietly.

Even though he would not admit it, Sasuke did not enjoy lying to Naruto, and he almost always felt guilty for doing so afterwards. Sasuke could lie with ease, and make the blond believe anything, but he would always confess the truth to his friend eventually. He hated when people kept secrets from him, so Sasuke tried his best to not do the same to others- especially those close to him.

Naruto looked at Sasuke suspiciously for a moment with an eyebrow raised, knowing definitely that what Sasuke had said about his whereabouts was a lie. A part of Naruto wanted to demand Sasuke to explain what was going on; but at the same time there was a large part of Naruto that was too tired, and mentally exhausted, to want to find out what really happened to him.

"Whatever it is," Naruto said with a pause, "don't tell me until tomorrow. I've dealt with a lot yesterday, and I need to take things easy- be stress free for just a day."

"Let's just get you home then, you need to relax; take some time for yourself."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "I think that's exactly what I need..."

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**A/N : Ah, I'm so terrible with endings. **** I'm exhausted right now but I really wanted to post this for you guys. ****I hope you enjoyed the chapter with the slight Sakura bashing (not really) and the more sensible characters being involved. It's about time someone stand up for Naruto, right!?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N : Ah, I'm finally finished so I'll make this quick. THIS STORY IS OVER 100 REVIEWS, I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD EVER GET HERE. Thanks to everyone who reads, and supports, this story; I appreciate you all so much! I can honestly say I'm scared to see your opinions on this chapter, I hope I wrote this chapter okay. I still hope you enjoy it, no matter how crappy, haha!**

**Thanks to all who reviewed: NeoJubiSannin1870, warrof, narusaku189, Animaman, Harry Foureyes, ZeroTails317, 25BAM50, leafstone, XxAishishxX, ineversleep123, HOPE4NARUSAKU, Toreh, duron300, Suave Jiraiya, xxnarufanxx, Cora Blue, NarutoFan, Skyler, FOXJ NS 4EVER, Beowulf, Sexy Kurenai, alykailyn96, Shadowmaster, and all the guest who reviewed also. **

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_Chapter 8_

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"Are you sure she'll be okay?"

Ino smiled kindly at the pink-haired woman in front of her. "Sakura, don't worry. She'll be fine! And look," Ino said, nodding in the direction of the three children, "they all seem to be getting along just fine."

Sakura turned and stared at Natsumi who was playing with two other children at the far end of the flower shop. Her daughter was laughing and smiling with the others, which made Sakura happy to see, but she still couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. "I know, but I just have this really bad feeling in my gut." Sakura sighed, wrapping her arms around her body.

Ino rested a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, "It's only for a few hours, Sakura. Go see Tsunade like you planned and you will be back before you know it. It's not like you're leaving her with a stranger, I'm here watching them and Shikamaru is sleeping in the back room. I promise nothing bad will happen to her."

Sakura gave a weak laugh and nodded in response. "Okay, I just want to quickly say goodbye." She said as she walked towards where the children were playing.

"Sumi," Sakura called as she stopped a few feet away from the group, "I'm leaving now."

Natsumi turned her attention from her new friends to her mother and happily skipped over to where she was standing. Sakura crouched down to her daughter's height, and Natsumi embraced her tightly with a blinding smile on her small face.

"I'll see you later, Mommy!" Natsumi exclaimed as she let go of her mother. The orange-haired girl gave Sakura a kiss on her cheek and quickly moved out of her grasp, happily skipping back to her friends. "I love you!" She called as she gave Sakura once last glance before reaching the other children.

"Love you too, Sumi." Sakura said, loud enough for the little to girl hear. "Bye Aki! Bye Nani!"

The other two children stared in Sakura's direction with huge smiles, waving and screaming their goodbyes which caused a smile to break out on Sakura's face. Sakura stood up to her normal height, dusted off her skirt, and turned back towards Ino, heading for the exit. "I'll see you later, Ino-pig," she said, giving the blonde a confident smile before pushing open the front door and emerging into the crowded streets of Konoha.

Ino shook her head with a smirk on her face and her hands placed on her hips. She spun on her heels to face the direction of the three kids and gave a warm smile, calling out to them excitedly. "Who's ready for lunch!?"

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Ino sat with the children around the small table in the back room of the flower shop as they ate their lunches. Shikamaru was peacefully sleeping in the corner leaving Ino to watch over the three kids and the flower shop by herself. Ino didn't mind letting her husband sleep, it was a slow day for the shop and their children were too occupied with their new friend to misbehave.

"Nani, you're turning seven already?" Natsumi asked with wide eyes. "That's old!"

The little girl, Nani, beamed with pride and nodded in response. Nani looked remarkably similar to her mother when she was her age. She had bright blue eyes and the only noticeable difference she had from her mother was her dirty blond hair, having streaks of brown running through the blond locks.

"I turn seven on September 15!" She exclaimed, flashing a blinding smile.

"Wow, I've always wanted an older friend." Natsumi said, propping her head upright with her hands.

"I think we can still be best friends even though I'm older, right mommy?" Nani said as she looked up at her mother for answers.

Ino smiled, giving a nod to her child. "Of course, all three of you can be friends. Age does not matter here."

Nani beamed brightly but it was quickly replaced by a scowl, directing it to her brother. "We don't want to be friends with Aki though," Nani said with disgust, "he's a boy."

"Oh, I don't think he's so bad!" Natsumi said, coming to defend the boy. She leaned uncomfortably close to the boy's face, causing him to blush slightly at the closeness. "We can be friends... right, Aki!?"

Aki resembled both his mother and father; he had his mother's big blue eyes, and he had brown hair that was constantly slicked back into a small pony tail just like his father.

The boys blue eyes widened at the proximity between their faces, and he felt his cheeks began to warm with embarrassment. "O-Of course, Sumi." He mumbled hesitantly.

Natsumi smiled and moved her face away from Aki's, leaning back in her chair. Aki released a sigh of relief, and his heart slowed down to a much normal pace. Natsumi made the boy nervous and he wasn't sure why. She made him get this weird feeling in his stomach that he wasn't used to.

Ino watched with an amused smirk as her baby boy blushed over the cute little girl sitting across from him. She could tell that Aki had a crush on Natsumi, and she was already thinking of several different plans to get them married in the future. She could just imagine the two growing up and being with one another sometime in the future.

"Mommy," Nani called, staring at something in the shop, "someone's waiting for you."

Ino looked in the direction Nani was facing, and immediately rolled her eyes when she saw who it was. She got up from her seat and headed into the shop where the man was waiting impatiently.

"What do you want, Sasuke?"

Sasuke chuckled lightly at her _warm _welcoming to him. "I just need to ask you about something rather important."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Naruto and Sakura."

To be honest, the whole situation between Naruto and Sakura had been nagging Sasuke at the back of his mind. All the current information he had obtained was from the blond male himself, but it still bothered him that he did not know the other half of the story. After the incident that happened with Sakura a few days before, he knew he could not simply go to the pinkette and ask her himself. The only other person he knew he could go to was Ino, and he made it his mission for the day to go talk with the woman.

"I honestly know nothing about those two. All I know is that they have really been on edge with one another since she got back," Ino said, "and I don't think that's good for either one of them. Why do you want to know?"

"You make it seem that Naruto isn't my best friend." Sasuke said with an eye roll.

Ino folded her arms across her chest and huffed, "Well, Sakura should be back in the next fifteen minutes or so; you could wait here for her if you want-"

"Doesn't it bother you, Ino?" Sasuke interrupted suddenly. "Doesn't it bother you that she left?" He asked, staring into the woman's blue eyes.

Ino gazed at the man for a moment but then shook her head. "This is her life, her decisions. She can do whatever she wants, and as her best friend I will support her in whatever she decides. When she's ready to come back home she will, and I will welcome-"

"You didn't answer the question, Ino."

"...it does, Sasuke, sometime it really does bother me." She answered truthfully, unsure of why she was telling him this. "It really bothers me on days when I think about how much we missed out on, especially hearing that our pregnancy's were around the same time, but it doesn't change the love I have for her. She feels guilty enough for leaving, I'm not going to make her feel any crappier."

Sasuke shook his head in disagreement, "She's not the victim here, Ino. She did wrong, and you know it."

"No, she did what she thought was best for her. We can't tell her she's wrong for that."

Sasuke's nostrils flared slightly but he managed to keep himself calm. "She left-"

"AUNT INO! AKI AND NANI ARE FIGHTING!"

Ino turned around quickly and saw Natsumi standing in the door with a frightened face, pointing to the two siblings that were beating up on each other. Ino let out an annoyed sigh and moved to go stop her children before one of them seriously got hurt. She took two steps towards the back room but Sasuke grabbed her wrist roughly, causing her to come to an abrupt stop.

"What the hell, Sasuke? What-"

"Tell me that is not Sakura's daughter." Sasuke said dumbfounded with a certain edge to his voice, analyzing the small orange-haired girl in front of him.

"Yes it is, now let me go." Ino snapped, breaking her wrist free from his tight hold. She stared at him with a confused look, wondering what caused him to grab her like that. Ino sensed the sudden change of his mood but she didn't understand what Natsumi could have possibly done to cause it.

"You got to be kidding me," Sasuke mumbled angrily under his breath, still looking at Natsumi, "how dumb can he be?"

Sasuke saw it as clear as day, and he didn't understand why Naruto couldn't see it for himself. The little girl resembled the blond and he knew it wasn't just a coincidence. Everything was starting to click in Sasuke's head, it was all piecing itself together. As the truth began to dawn on the black-haired male he became more infuriated as the seconds rolled by.

"Sasuke, what's going-"

Before Ino could finish her sentence Sasuke left in a sudden rage, stomping and slamming the door on his way out. If Sakura wasn't planning on telling Naruto than he sure was.

"Sasuke!" Ino screamed as she ran around the counter to chase after him. She ran to the door and flung it open but it was too late; Sasuke's retreating figure was quickly disappearing in the crowded streets.

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_Sakura had two days_.

That's what Tsunade had said to herself, hoping that the pinkette would finally take responsibility to tell Naruto about Natsumi before she did. Unfortunately, the days rolled by and every time Tsunade asked the woman if she told the blond the truth the answer was still the same; she hadn't gotten the chance to yet. Well, Tsunade decided that she was going to make time in her own schedule to tell Naruto the much overdue information. Sakura's window of opportunity had closed and now it was time for Tsunade to interfere in the matter.

The elder blonde was leaving the Hokage building, on her way to Naruto's apartment, when she saw a blur of pink running towards her.

"Shishou!" Sakura called out as she neared the woman. She stopped in front of Tsunade breathing heavily. "Where are you going?"

Tsunade gave the girl a pointed look but answered her nonetheless. "I'm going to see Naruto, Sakura." She said emotionless.

Sakura gaped at the woman, speechless. "Shishou... you're not going to..."

"Sakura, I told you that if you did not tell him that I would. Someone needs to tell him, he deserves to know." Tsunade said as she shook her head sadly.

Tsunade began to walk away from her student, having it set in her mind that she was going to tell Naruto no matter what Sakura said. The pinkette stared at the blonde for a moment, completely flabbergasted, but then snapped out of her stupor and chased after the woman.

"Shishou, please," Sakura begged, walking behind the woman, "you cannot tell him, right now. I promise I will do it."

"Then come with me, Sakura." Tsunade snapped as she spun around to face the girl. "Come with me right now. You can tell him then, and I will be there for support and-"

"No, Shishou." Sakura interrupted. "This is something that I must do it myself. It will take time-"

"_No_, Sakura. It has been over six years, you don't need anymore time."

Sakura stared at Tsunade with her large, green eyes, her expression pleading the woman to listen to her. "Shishou, please do not do this..."

"I'm sorry, Sakura." Tsunade said sadly. "Naruto doesn't deserve to be in the dark any longer."

The woman began to turn away from Sakura, but the pinkette stopped her once more. "Wait! Shishou, I promise-"

Sakura cut her rant off short as she was roughly pulled by the arm and spun around to face an angry Uchiha. Sakura stood in shock for a few seconds, staring at the seething male with a look of confusion on her face. Her look of confusion suddenly turned into one of anger and she aggressively tried to snatch her arm out of Sasuke's grasp.

"What the hell are you doing, Sasuke?" Sakura yelled, pulling away from the black-haired man.

Sasuke gave Sakura a look of pure hatred and shook his head, he was completely disgusted with the woman. "Who do you think you are, Sakura?" He spat. "How dare you keep Naruto from his own child, after every thing he's been through. All he ever wanted was his own family, and you fucking take everything away from him."

"Sasuke... w-what are you talking about?" Sakura stuttered, her eyes wide with confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me, Sakura." Sasuke said angrily as he took a step closer to the woman. "I saw the child for myself, you cannot sit here and lie to me by saying that that little girl isn't Naruto's."

Sakura remained quiet for several moments as she realized what Sasuke was screaming at her for. Her face remained impassive as she stared at the ground. "It is his," she said as she looked up at the Uchiha, "my daughter is Naruto's child also."

Sasuke's jaw clenched visibly and he balled up his fist, he felt himself being overcome with rage. "And do you think this is okay!? I knew you were stupid before, but this is on a whole different level. The girl is five- almost six -and Naruto doesn't even know that she is his own daughter! How stupid can you be!? That's not even stupidity, that's just being selfish and vile. You disgust me, and-"

"Sasuke," Tsunade said as she stepped in between the two, "that's enough."

Sakura gently rested a hand on Tsunade's arm, stepping out from behind her. "It's okay, Shishou." Sakura said softly as she stared at the man across from her with a surrowful expression. "He's right. Sasuke, I know how wrong it is for me to keep this him, but I just couldn't tell him. I was too afraid to face him..."

"You kept your daughter from her biological father because you were scared!?" Sasuke exclaimed, bewildered at the excuse the pinkette provided for herself. "You sound pathetic! How can you live with yourself knowing that your daughter is fatherless because of your own fears and selfish actions? And forget the possibility of Naruto ever forgiving you, once he finds this out... it will be the last straw for him. You'll be dead to him. Worthless."

"This is the worst thing you could have ever done to him. You don't realize how much that man loves you, even after you left him for six years his feelings never changed. He cared for you so much and you have to audacity to pull some shit like this on him!? You really fucked him over this time." Sasuke said, completely enraged at the woman. He couldn't believe how she could do something so awful to someone who had always been there for her.

"I know-"

"No, you don't know!" Sasuke said angrily, standing inches away from the woman. "He loved you, Sakura, and all you ever did was fuck him over. You leaving for six year was bad enough, but to keep his child away from him for that long is even worse. You took everything he ever wanted away from him, and you still don't care-"

"That's not true!" Sakura snapped. "I've always cared for him and I always will."

"That's bullshit." Sasuke spat, shaking his head with disgust. "If you cared for him you would've told him a long time ago, no matter how fucking scared you were. Face it, Sakura. You never gave two shits about the guy."

Sasuke's words were lased with venom and they caused Sakura to flinch slightly. They rang in her ears and she felt her heart drop with every word he said. Sasuke made her feel so small and worthless, and she couldn't help but wonder if Naruto was going to do the same- or maybe even worse than what Sasuke was doing. She wouldn't blame him if he did, she knew that she deserved it.

"That's not true..." Sakura said timidly, barely finding her voice to defend herself. "I loved Naruto, and I still do."

"Then why don't you act like it, dammit?!" Sasuke yelled as he grabbed Sakura by her arms. "Why don't you just tell Naruto, huh!? Why can't you just tell him, Sakura!?"

"Tell me what?"

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Naruto was having a pretty good day up until he saw Sakura and Sasuke yelling at each other as Tsunade watched helplessly from the sidelines.

He spent his morning relaxing in his apartment, having enough leisure to just sit around. He had spent the past two days by himself and he felt overwhelmingly calm, of which he didn't mind too much. He managed to clear his mind from the initial anger he felt towards Sakura and he was ready to confront her with a leveled head.

When he finally decided to leave his apartment, he made up his mind to first visit Ino and Shikamaru before starting his search for the pinkette. He walked to the flower shop, guessing that the two were there, while enjoying the temperature of the beautiful summer day.

Naruto reached his destination in a short amount of time and entered with a huge grin on his face. He found Ino in the front of the shop, but he automatically spotted Sakura's daughter in the back room along with Ino's children. His mood didn't falter or change at the site of the girl, he knew it was wrong to dislike the little girl because of actions that her mother had did. His first impression on girl was definitely not a good one so he was determined to get the small child to like him.

Ino willingly led him to the back room and he said hello to all the kids, playing and laughing with them also. He could tell Sakura's little girl was wary of him at first, but after a few minutes she let down her barrier and allowed herself to join in the fun with the rest of friends. After several minutes Naruto decided to take his leave, saying his goodbyes before starting his voyage to go find the pinkette herself.

Naruto knew Sakura could not be far if she had left her daughter with Ino in the flower shop. He was walking for a few minutes, humming peacefully to himself, when he noticed the commotion going on.

To be honest, it was hard for Naruto not to notice them. There was a lot of yelling, Naruto could tell it was mostly from Sasuke, and he couldn't miss the blur of pink hair among the group. Naruto neared closer to where the three were standing, and he could hear the verbal assaults Sasuke was throwing at the pink-haired woman. He saw Tsunade trying to stop the man, but Sakura pushed her aside and allowed the man to come at her once again.

Naruto couldn't really hear what Sasuke was screaming about, but as he got closer the conversation became clearer. "...Why don't you just tell Naruto, huh!? Why can't you just tell him, Sakura!?"

"Tell me what?" Naruto asked, confused as to why his name was brought into their altercation.

The three snapped their hands at the blond, stunned to find the topic of their argument standing right before them. Sakura felt a jolt of fear run down her spin and instantly her hands began to shake unconsciously.

Naruto looked between the three of them and asked his question once more. "What do you have to tell me?"

Sasuke glared at the pinkette as he held one of her arms in a tight grip. He gave her a small push towards the blond, causing her to stumble a bit. "Go ahead, Sakura. If you don't tell him right now-"

"Sasuke," Naruto interrupted, holding his hand out, causing the angry Uchiha to stop talking. Naruto looked at the pinkette with a gentle expression and gave her a reassuring nod. "It's okay, Sakura. Tell me what happened."

Sakura stared at the man with wide eyes full of fear. She was beyond terrified, to the point where she might start to cry, and she couldn't open her mouth to speak to the man. She was being consumed with fear, and any courage she had left was little to nothing.

Tsunade stepped forward and rested a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, giving the woman a nod. "You have to do this, Sakura."

"Sakura," Naruto said softly, his blue eyes staring into her large emerald ones, "what is going on?"

"N-Naruto..." Sakura said hesitantly, "...I-I... you're going to hate me..."

Naruto took a step closer to the pinkette, he did not understand why she was scared in telling him. He couldn't figure out what was so terrible that she was terrified to tell him. "Sakura, just say it."

Sakura looked at the man in front of her and took a shaky breath in, closing her eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again.

"N-Naruto...uhm."

"What is it, Sakura?"

"It... it's about Natsumi.."

Naruto felt a bit relieved, he knew he had somewhat patched things up with the little girl so Sakura really didn't have to reprimand him for making her cry the other day. "Oh, right. Yeah, I get it."

The three stared at him wide eyed.

"You... _get it_?" The pinkette asked quietly, obviously in shock. Tsunade and Sasuke stared in disbelief.

"Yeah. I mean, sorry for not really making a good impression first time I met her, but I just saw her at the flower shop, and she seemed to warm up nicely to me. It's okay, Sakura, I understand. Just because we are going through some _things_ doesn't give me the okay to blame some of it on her, she's just a child. It's not her fault." He said with a gentle smile.

Sakura's face went pale. Tsunade simply rubbed her temples as Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And this is the moron we're trusting the safety of our village to.." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Sakura quickly shook her head. "No, Naruto, that's not it."

"Oh," he said as he cocked his head to the side, "then what is it?"

"Natsumi...she's uhm..." Taking another deep breath, she clenched her eyes shut. "...Natsumi is your daughter, Naruto; She's _our_ little girl- not just mine..."

Slowly opening her eyes, she noticed his immediate change in body language. Naruto's body froze instantly; his facial expression was stuck in one of shock and he could not seem to move out of his current position. "W-What? She's my daughter...?"

"Sakura has kept her from you for almost _six_ years!" Sasuke said angrily. "She-"

"Sasuke, that's enough." Tsunade said sternly, cutting off the young man. "Let _Sakura_ explain this to him."

Naruto stared at Sasuke dumbfounded for moment but then turned his gaze back to the pinkette. He felt his blood beginning to boil, and his rage was exploding through his veins. He clutched on to Sakura's shoulders tightly, staring directly into her eyes. "Please, Sakura, tell me this is some sick joke..." He pleaded.

Sakura glanced at the ground, avoiding the blond's stare, and shook her head sadly. "This is all true, Naruto." She whispered timidly.

"She's five years old..." Naruto said softly to himself, letting go of the pinkette. He turned away from the group as he gripped on to the sides of his head. "She's _five_..."

"Naruto," Sakura called, moving closer to the blond, "I'm sorry-"

"Get away from me!" Naruto yelled angrily as he snapped his head towards the woman. "She's five-years old, Sakura! Not one, not two, but five-_fucking_-years old."

Naruto glared fiercely at the pinkette and it sent shivers down her spine. He took a dangerous step closer to her, and she began to back away from him. "Sakura, you kept her from me for five- almost six years. Where in your mind does that make any sense to you!?" He exclaimed. "What kind of a person- no... what kind of a mother, as a matter of fact, does this kind of shit!? Did you ever even think about telling me, Sakura? No, because you don't care, right?"

"It's not like that, Naruto."

"Then what is it, Sakura?" Naruto snapped, staring bewilderingly at the pinkette. "No excuse can make up for what you did. That's _my_ daughter also, I missed out on five years..."

Naruto stopped for a moment as his words echoed in his head. The severity of the situation fully dawned on him, and he became infuriated with the pinkette. "You took my daughter away from me... You fucking took my daughter because of your own selfish reasons, Sakura! Do you not see how wrong that is!?" She kept him from his own family for years, and that was not forgivable.

He shut his eyes for a moment and shook his head, before opening his eyes once again. "All I ever wanted was to have a family of my own, Sakura, and you knew that. You knew that it was _you_, on top of all that, that I wanted to have a family with... and you stole all of that from me without me even knowing. Sakura, you knew what you were doing; it had to occur to you sometime within those six years that what you were doing was wrong."

"It did," Sakura spoke quietly, "but the damage was done, and I was too scared to tell you-"

"What kind of bullshit is that, Sakura!? The damage was done? No, Sakura, you made the situation worse by waiting so long. Every second you kept Natsumi for yourself only worsened the situation. You kept our daughter away from me for so long... you honestly disgust me." Naruto spat harshly, turning away from the pinkette.

"N-Naruto..." Sakura studdered, choking back the sob that was on the tip of her tongue. She felt tears beginning to sting her eyes, and she reached out to the blond without thinking, touching his arm lightly.

"Don't touch me, Sakura." Naruto hissed, snatching his arm away from the woman's reach. He spun around to face the pinkette, glaring directly at her. He was shaking with rage, barely being able to control himself, and tears began to stream down his face. "My daughter... my daughter probably hates me because of you..." He said as he clenched his jaw.

"You're selfish, Sakura. You're-" Naruto cut himself off as another crucial point dawned on him. "...she had Gaara. Natsumi didn't need me because she had Gaara..."

Sakura started to shake her head, "No, Naruto. It's not like that."

"Yes it is!" Naruto exclaimed, backing away from the group. "My daughter didn't need me because she had _him_. The closest thing she had to a father was Gaara... he took her away from me..."

"Naruto, please, don't blame Gaara also. This is my fault, not his." Sakura pleaded as tears began to roll down her face. Gaara had watched over Natsumi for the blond since he was not around to do so himself; he had kept the child a secret because Sakura had begged him too, it wasn't something he wanted to do, and he would constantly advise against it.

Naruto's face was sour, "Why are you defending him!? He took her away from me-"

"I did that!" Sakura exclaimed, stepping towards the blond with a new found courage. "There's no one to blame but me. I was the coward. I was the one who kept our daughter a secret. It was me, not Gaara, not no one else... just me..."

"He, out of everyone, should have known how it felt to have your family taken away from you!" Naruto spat viciously. "He did to me what his father did to him, and there's no excuse for that! Do not dare try to defend his actions when you're in no fucking position to do so. You're a terrible person, Sakura, and you're a terrible mother. You don't deserve to have Natsumi in your care because you're not fit to take care of another human being!"

Naruto glared at Sakura while trying to catch his breath. Tears were streaming down her face but he didn't care because she deserved every word he said to her. He felt his blood rushing to his ears and he was having a hard time calming himself down. Sakura just stared at him as silent tears ran down her face, Naruto's word had definitely hit her ten times harder than Sasuke's had.

Naruto turned away from the pinkette, "I don't care what you say, Sakura. I'm going to finally meet _my_ daughter, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Naruto began to walk away, heading directly towards the flower shop, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped suddenly. He turned around and look at Sasuke who was shaking his head at the blond.

"Not right now, Naruto." Sasuke said to his best friend.

"What do you mean _'not right now'_?" Naruto exclaimed, giving Sasuke a baffled look. "I've already lost fiv-"

"Not when you're like this, Dobe. You're too mad, you'll say something dumb to the child and I don't think you wanna do that." Sasuke said calmly.

Naruto stared at Sasuke for several seconds, unsure of what to do. He wanted to argue with the man but he knew he was right, his mind wasn't in the right place. He nodded reluctantly to his best friend, and followed the man away from the women, heading back towards his apartment.

Sakura watched the two leave, not daring to call after them. She stared at their retreating figures until they were out of her sight, and her tears eventually came to a halt.

Tsunade moved towards the pinkette, her arms outstretched to the woman. "Sakura-"

"I'm fine." Sakura said as she avoided her shishou's grasp. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned away from the woman. "I just need to see my daughter right now."

Sakura began to walk away and Tsunade let her go without any arguments. Sakura headed directly to the flower shop and reached her destination in less than a couple of minutes. She entered the flower, causing a little bell to go off, and was immediately greeted by a hyper-active blob of orange.

"Mommy!" Natsumi squealed as she wrapped her arms around her mother's legs. "I missed you!"

Sakura smiled weakly, and reached down to pick up her daughter. "I missed you too, Sumi."

The pinkette squeezed her daughter tightly and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "You know that I love you with everything I got, right Sumi?"

Natsumi smiled and looked up at her mother, giving her an ecstatic nod. "Of course, Mommy. Why? What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the streak marks on Sakura's face.

"Oh, nothing." Sakura said, giving Natsumi a sad smile. "I just wanted to let you know that. You know that I try my best, Sumi, but Mommy isn't perfect. I make mistakes too."

"I know, Mom." Natsumi said as she a hand through her mother's long pink locks, instantly comforting the pinkette. "And I will always love you no matter what! Nothing will change my mind, never in a billion years!"

.

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Naruto entered his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him. He still felt his blood boiling, and tears of anger rolled down his face. He paced back and forth in his living room, unable to sit still.

Sasuke watched the blond intently, quietly standing in the corner of the room without being noticed. He wanted to make sure Naruto didn't do anything _too_ stupid in his fragile state.

Naruto, truthfully, didn't know how to handle the news he received; all he wanted to do was scream and yell at the pinkette until she cried. He was angry beyond belief and he was surprised that he managed to somewhat contain himself from completely losing his temper.

Sakura had done the worst thing he could possibly imagine, and he couldn't believe that she- out of all people -would be the one to keep him from his own family. He was even more shocked to hear her try to defend Gaara's actions as if they were anymore just than hers. That, specifically, pissed him off ten times more. Gaara was supposed to be his friend, brother even, but yet he was playing a father figure to the child Naruto never knew about, keeping it a secret from the blond for about six years. That itself fell into the same level of treachery as Sakura's actions, and he didn't know if he could ever forgive the two.

Naruto angrily punched one of the living room walls, letting out all his frustration. He left a decent sized hole in the wall, but he did not remove his hand from the spot. He stood frozen in the same position, breathing heavily, as the tears continued to stream down his face.

"_I fucking hate her_." Naruto said angrily, his voice cracking slightly. Naruto hated Sakura, and he could honestly say that he meant every word.

* * *

**A/N : It finally happened, I just hope his reaction was believable. I was so happy to finally write Natsumi, she was completely missing from the last chapter! But I feel that I must tell you all that there is definitely a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter!**

**And for Shadowmaster, to answer your question that will be shown in the later chapters but you are right. Because of Sakura's selfishness Natsumi will always love Gaara a little more than Naruto, even though it's not right, it's just how things will be in the early chapters. Im not saying it will remain like that for a long time but initially that is going to be a big problem they must overcome. Oh, dont't forget to review also!**


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